No End In Sight
by Shipperony10
Summary: Their latest case leads Castle, Beckett, and their team to cross paths with new and familiar faces. Mild adult language and situations.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: This came to me at work while I was listening to some intense soundtrack music. Anyway, I thought I should point out that I am trying to put my own spin on some things from previous and current seasons, but most importantly Caskett never took a break and Beckett did not get promoted to Captain. Also, the plan is to post one chapter every Monday- this will help me cope with our Castle-less Mondays. I hope you all enjoy it. Forgive my mistakes. I do own all of those.

Thanks, V, for the quick response!

* * *

 **No End in Sight**

The tires came to a stop in a puddle of slush.

"I said no, Castle." Beckett rolled her eyes at her husband as they exited her car. The fog from their breaths mingled before them.

Castle pouted famously at her, hoping that this fifth time might work on changing her mind. "Please?"

Just as she formulated a stern response, their friend spoke. "What are you two arguing about?" Lanie questioned as she kept her eyes on their latest victim's body.

Castle was eager to start pleading his case to the group with the raise of a finger, but his wife beat him to it. "Please don't get him started. He's been talking the entire car ride." She squatted next to Lanie and Esposito as they shook their heads disapprovingly at Castle.

"Don't look at me like that." Castle scowled at the trio. "Where's Ryan? He usually takes my side." He joked as he too looked down at the victim. "What do we have?" He questioned nonchalantly.

"Our victim is a thirty-five year old male Hispanic." Lanie began. "I'm placing time of death at around two this morning." She scribbled into her notepad as Beckett and Castle both looked attentively at her.

"Eric Parrilla." Espo chimed in as he handed the victim's wallet over to Beckett. "New Jersey."

Beckett opened the wallet to rummage through its contents. Castle looked over her shoulder. "So what was he doing in this neighborhood so late at night?" She asked as she sifted through some twenty dollar bills, some receipts, and a baby photo.

"Family guy." Castle pointed sadly at the photo. "Bad way to go too. Are those bullet _and_ knife wounds, Lanie?"

Lanie nodded. "These are definitely bullet wounds from a 9mm, but I don't want to assume the other entry wounds are from a knife. I'll run tests when I get back to the lab."

Castle nodded with understanding as he sighed. "This is pretty gruesome."

Beckett and Esposito agreed with their nods. "Yeah." Beckett began. "Definitely wasn't a mugging. He has at least two hundred in twenties in this wallet."

"Could be he fought the attacker. Our vic spooked them, and they finished him off before they could grab his stuff." Esposito shrugged.

"Attackers." Castle corrected his friend. "I doubt this guy could take on multiple attackers. He's only one forty-five. Against two assailants with a gun and a sharp weapon? I don't think so." Castle shook his head looking at the lifeless body once again.

"Well he didn't win the fight, Castle." Beckett handed the wallet over to Espo before she stood next to her partner.

"Neither did they." Castle pointed out. "Unless they weren't looking for a quick cash grab." He shrugged much like Espo had earlier. "Though this does look like something out of a mob movie." He snapped his fingers as an idea popped into his head.

"Nope." Beckett shook her head. "He's not a spy." She shot down his favorite theory before he could even begin.

"Spoil sport." He stated with a mock frown.

Beckett smiled before she turned her attention back to her team. "Alright Espo, canvas the area. Have someone search for the gun. Castle and I will run his personal information through the database to see if we can find anything on him. We'll see if we can connect him to this area. Lanie, call me when you get a conclusive answer on the second murder weapon." Her friends nodded up at her before they resumed their investigations.

"See you guys." Castle turned on his heel to catch up with his wife. "So can we resume our conversation?"

"Drop it, Castle." She smiled out of the corner of her mouth as she unlocked the vehicle to jump in.

Castle followed in quickly and sat with a thud into the passenger seat. "Kate, you can't let it slip that you already have my Christmas present and then not expect me to try and figure out what it is." He flashed her puppy eyes. "It's in my nature. It's what made you fall in love with me remember?" He grinned.

The engine roared to life as she turned the key. "It's also what made me want to toss you out of my squad car on plenty of occasions." She looked straight ahead as she drove out of the crime scene.

Clearing his throat, Castle looked out of his window. "Touché."

"Hey Beckett." Ryan entered the bullpen and fixed his hair in a rush. "I'm sorry I missed the crime scene this morning. I got held up at home." His face reddened a few shades as the duo opposite of him smiled knowingly.

"No worries, Ryan." Beckett shook her head to herself and faced the white board that her and Castle had been staring at.

"Latest vic?" Ryan looked at the photos that sat magnetized to the board.

"Eric Parrilla." Castle tried his best to annunciate it like Esposito had before, but shook his head in disappointment when he heard himself. "Thirty-five, from New Jersey." He continued.

Ryan stuffed his hands in his pant pockets. "Are we looking for two suspects?" He questioned as he noticed the wounds on the body.

"Seems that way." Beckett nodded. "Lanie is running some tests, but it looks like one had a 9mm and the other had a sharp object possibly a knife."

Ryan nodded. "So what do we know so far? Any possible suspects?"

"Nope." Castle responded with dissatisfaction. "But we know it was _not_ a mob hit of a spy." He pointed playfully at Beckett and they did not fail to notice her eye roll.

Beckett sighed before she sat in her chair. "We've been running his name through the database. We've got nothing. He's clean. Address matches the I.D. he had on him. Phone number is to a prepaid phone that he seemed to pay monthly, but that's it. We found that photo of a baby in his wallet, but nothing is listed as to dependents or even a spouse." She looked back to her screen and shook her head. "Castle you and I should go check this address out. Maybe get with some neighbors."

"Sounds like a good idea." He stood and grabbed their coats from the chair he had claimed as his own several years ago.

Beckett stood to accept his assistance with the garment while she looked at Ryan. "Ryan can you get with Espo? He's at the crime scene. We need that gun if we want some suspects." Ryan nodded as he headed out in a rush.

"Let's go, Castle." They walked toward the elevator side by side.

 **...**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: Thank you so much for reading and letting me know what you think so far. Stick around. Sorry for any mistakes.

* * *

 _A couple of days later…_

Castle draped his arm around Beckett's body as they lay in bed, tangled with the heavy duvet that shielded them from the crisp midnight air.

"Why are you still awake?" The question was muffled by his pillow.

Beckett shifted slightly to turn to her side. "How did you know I was awake? You were just snoring." She smiled in the dark.

Castle exhaled deeply into the pillow. "I always know when you're awake. I can almost hear your thoughts." He pulled her closer with his arm.

She couldn't fight the smile of pride that appeared on her face. He knew her so well. "Sorry." She snuggled closer and rubbed his back. An act that had become almost second nature to them both. She loved the warmth he radiated, and the way his muscles relaxed under her touch as his breathing changed. He enjoyed the way her fingers could almost hypnotize him before he gave in to sleep. It happened almost every night. It was their thing.

"Are you ok?" Castle questioned sleepily.

He felt her nod against his pillow. "Yeah. Just thinking about the case." She sighed.

Castle grunted as he moved away from her hand so he could lay flat on his back. "Come here." He pulled her into his side so she could lay her head on his chest. She positioned her hand over his heart. "Go to sleep, Kate. We can think about the case in the morning."

"There's just something about this that has me running circles in my mind." She spoke low. Her words warm against his flesh.

Castle hugged her before he covered her hand with his own. "Take a break." He joked with a small smile to take her away from what troubled her. "I can run for you while you rest."

Kate smiled against his chest and shook her head with a soft chuckle. "I love you." She exhaled softly before she relaxed into him, grateful that he was always there to ease her mind.

"I love you, too." He whispered before he drifted off with her.

The loud ringing coming from her nightstand jerked them both out of their haze.

"Wow." Castle ran a hand over his face, forcing the sleep off of it as Beckett reached back for the phone. "Crime never sleeps, I guess." He joked.

"Bec-." She cleared the sleep out of her throat. "Beckett."

He could not make out what the person on the other end said, but he had a pretty good idea when he heard the exasperated sigh that escaped Kate's lips when she disconnected the call. "Body drop?" He sat up against the headboard.

Kate switched the small table light on before she looked to him with a nod. "Gun shot and stabbing." She shook her head.

Castle's eyes widened. "Coincidence?"

"Could be." She replied before she stood to make her way to the bathroom. "Are you coming?" She called back to him already grabbing for her essentials to ready herself for the scene.

"Always." He threw the covers off and also hurried to get dressed.

* * *

The team stood quietly around the white board.

Another set of pictures inhabited the white canvas. The similarities between the two were undeniable. Two homicides, two men from out of town, multiple gunshot and stab wounds, and no leads.

"What are the chances that the two murders are not related?" Esposito asked the group as he rubbed a hand over his face.

Ryan tapped the marker on his leg. "There's a chance." He answered optimistically.

"But it's not likely." Beckett grounded everyone back to reality when she stood from the edge of her desk to make her way closer to the board. "These two men are connected somehow. It is not an accident that two bodies turn up a mile from each other, days apart, with similar style wounds and zero suspects."

They each studied the photos from their seats and struggled to come up with any possible leads to get them rolling.

"Alright, so we know that the two men have clean records. They each had money in their wallets and photos of family, but no family ties exist in their financial records." Castle started to build theory as he sat in Beckett's chair. Everyone looked quietly at him as he continued. "What if these two men weren't really who the I.D.s say they were?" Castle asked as he looked over at Beckett.

Her brows knitted together as she thought over what her partner had questioned.

"But why would two random men be carrying fake I.D.s, and why is it that both of them happened to get killed days apart?" Ryan asked.

Esposito sighed as he too tried to think it over.

Castle stood up and walked over to the photos. He tapped his finger under each photo in thought. "They're working together. That's why the cases are so similar. What if they _are_ spies, Beckett?"

Beckett wanted to roll her eyes at him, but in light of the situation she accepted his far-fetched ideas. "Spies?" She asked as she tried to envision a scenario where spies prowled the streets of New York City.

A phone ringing brought them all out of their session. "Beckett." She listened for a few seconds before she nodded. "I'll be right down." She hung up the phone and smiled. "They're not spies." She walked away leaving the men in suspense.

"Kate?" Castle gawked at her as she made her way to the elevator.

Her footsteps echoed in the hallway of Lanie's lab.

"Drugs? Really?" Beckett asked incredulously as she pushed the doors to Lanie's exam room open.

Lanie looked up from her file and nodded. "Our second victim, Rob Flores, had small traces of cocaine in his blood. It was not enough to kill him, but it was detectable by the toxicology reports." She dropped her folder on the desktop and moved over to where the body lay on the table. "I wanted to see if he had any track marks, and when I found none I ran a few tests on his nasal passages."

"He was using." Beckett concluded, but frowned when Lanie shook her head.

"Not exactly." She continued. "The tissue is not degraded, and there were no traces of the drugs from the swabs. I thought about Castle's crazy mob theories, why would there be drugs but no drugs?" She waited for Beckett to guess, but pressed on as she got nothing. "I took a swab from his gums and mouth. He tasted the product. He's probably a dealer. I ran the same tests on Parrilla just to make sure, and I got cocaine in the gums. His toxicology reports did not pick it up, possibly because he was killed right as he tasted the batch."

Beckett was surprised by Lanie's theory, but it all made sense to her. Finally, they would have a lead to go on. "Thanks, Lanie." She smiled at her friend before she turned to leave. "Oh, any luck on the second weapon?"

Lanie nodded. "The wound width and depth is consistent with a pocket knife. I'm trying to see if I can find a specific type of pocket knife. No luck, yet."

Beckett grinned. "Thanks, Lanie. See ya." She rushed out and back up to the rest of her team.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: I apologize if I have not responded to your reviews. I will get to them soon- It was rare if I had some time to log on during the holidays. Also, special thanks to my friend, V, for editing out any mistakes! Gracias! :-) Enjoy!

* * *

Castle and the guys brainstormed in the conference room when Beckett walked into the bullpen. "We've got a lead." She spoke into the room, as she walked past and to the board.

"Thanks for including us this time, Beckett." Espo whined.

The small grin that escaped Castle at her eye roll made her glare at him. He apologized with a single raise of his eyebrows as he avoided eye contact.

Grabbing a marker for the board, she began to jot notes for the team.

"Drug dealers?" Castle read her question.

"Lanie ran toxicology reports. Small traces of cocaine were detected in Flores' blood stream. No evidence of use."

"Taste test before the product is sold." Espo nodded in understanding.

Ryan crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What about Eric Parrilla?"

Beckett nodded. "Same."

"Alright. We've got a lead." Espo and Ryan slapped hands as they waited for their team's next step.

Beckett capped off her marker and grinned at the boys and Castle. "Ryan, Espo, head back to the crime scenes, look for any drug paraphernalia. If these two were working together we need to know who they work for. Tracing the drugs might be our only shot." They nodded. "Castle you and I will go off of your theory that these men were not Eric Parrilla or Rob Flores. We'll go through New Jersey's list of missing persons. See if we get any matches."

"Got it, boss." Ryan walked out as he patted Espo on the arm.

After the team dispersed to follow their new leads, Beckett and Castle sat in front of her station computer. They were on their third refill of coffee in the last couple of hours, and their eyes burned from being forced to stay open.

Castle straightened his back as he stretched the kinks out. Beckett exhaled as she flipped through pages of missing persons.

"Want another refill?" Castle asked as he placed his elbows on his knees to move closer to the screen once again.

Beckett shook her head. "Thanks. I think I met my quota an hour ago." She kept a straight face despite her joke.

"Should we come back to this tomorrow?" He looked down at his watch. "Or later this morning?" He shook his head as he realized the time was well past midnight.

Taking a pen and jotting down a few more possible matches she shook her head. "No, we're almost to the end of the timeline." She sighed and leaned back into her chair. "I have six more men to look into. Want half?" She glanced over at Castle.

He nodded as he took the names from her post-it.

Almost an hour later, Beckett began to feel the exhaustion set in. Her eyelids struggled against the weight of sleep.

"Beckett, come here I've got something." Castle called to her from the conference room where he worked.

The adrenaline that coursed through her allowed her to jump out of her seat in a hurry. Quickly she pulled a chair up beside him as he typed on the wireless keyboard. "What is it?" She turned to face the screen at the head of the table.

"Rob Flores." He clicked the mouse a few times to pull up a profile. "Meet Frank Cortez, Beckett." His eyes met hers and they sighed triumphantly.

"Great job, Castle." She smiled at him before she read through the report on the screen. "Prior arrests for selling narcotics." She read out loud. "Possession of a concealed weapon- looks like he wasn't as clean as we thought."

"Charges were dismissed, though." Castle stated. "That doesn't make any sense. This guy was clearly involved in dealing." He shook his head. "This seal is FBI, Beckett. Why would the FBI let this man get off?"

Beckett shared his consternation and nodded. "Ok, let's get the information for his next of kin. We should notify them and set up interviews." Castle nodded. "Anything on Eric Parrilla?"

"The other two men were no matches." He replied. "Your list?"

"Nope." She knitted her brows in thought. Something was seriously wrong, and she would stop at nothing to find out what it was. They sat in silence for a few moments before Beckett stood and pushed in the chair. "Let's go home." She smiled sleepily down at him; and he responded with a smile and nod of his own.

* * *

"Morning, Chica." Esposito flirted playfully with Lanie. He stood before her with his thousand-watt smile. "You rang for me?"

Lanie smiled back as she rummaged through two neat stacks of files. "Yes. I sent some tests on the small Ziploc bag you two found downstairs to the lab. "

"And?" He moved closer.

Carefully she stepped back and rolled her eyes at him. "Javier, you better behave or I'm keeping this information until Beckett comes in." She warned him.

Playfully he surrendered with his hands up in the air. "I apologize, señorita."

"The fingerprints were smudged so I cannot conclusively say that our victims or suspects had possession of it. But it was cocaine." She continued as Esposito celebrated with a small clap of his hands. "That's not it. There was enough to run a chem analysis, and it matched that of samples we already have in the database."

Esposito studied her face as he listened to her findings. "Lot number?" He asked.

"You'll find it under Vulcan Simmons." Her face fell slightly as she revealed the shocking connection to him.

They both stood quietly, their eyes on each other, wary of where the case was likely to lead them now.

It made sense to some degree, but it implied much more and that concerned them. Because of what this could mean for their friend and colleague.

"That came out of left field." He shook his head. Lanie nodded. "I'll tell Beckett." He offered. "Thanks, Lanie." His smile smaller as he walked out of her lab with the information he now owned weighing him down.

"Hey man, where were you?" Ryan asked his buddy as he carried a mug of coffee back to his desk.

Esposito looked up at him and said nothing at first. "I was with Lanie, Bro." He landed heavily in his seat.

Ryan urged him on with his hand as he swallowed some of the caffeinated drink.

"It's not good." He shook his head at his partner.

The other man looked up from his mug. "What is it?"

"The drugs are connected to Vulcan Simmons." Esposito exhaled heavily as he woke up the screen on his computer.

Ryan stared at Esposito in disbelief. "But he's dead." He shook his head at Esposito. "Bracken is in jail." He paused. "What the hell is going on, Javi?" Ryan looked up at Esposito.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out." The man continued to type on his keyboard.

 **...**

 ***Dun-Dun-Dunnnn* First familiar face. kind of. You know since he's dead and all.**

 **How are you all enjoying the story so far? Hope you're intrigued. I'm having so much fun with this one.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: Thanks for all of the awesome feedback. I'm glad you guys are sticking around. Keep on keeping on. See you guys down below. Thanks again, V. :-)

* * *

Holiday decorations were haphazardly strung up and down the walls of the rundown apartment building.

The pair looked around cautiously in the dim-lit space as they made their way up the steps towards the apartment number they sought out.

Beckett shivered, but she couldn't determine if it had been from the cold or from the sheer atmosphere of the place. Guardedly she kept her hand over her gun holster.

Castle stopped them when they arrived at the door. He looked at Beckett for approval before he knocked. Silence surrounded them. He knocked again.

His hand was poised to knock a third time when they heard movement from the chain lock and deadbolt.

"Yes?" A haggard voice sounded from the crack, but no light shone from within. "Who are you?"

Beckett advanced further as she attempted to make out the face that owned the voice. "Ma'am?" She paused for a second. "We are looking for the family of Frank Cortez. I'm Detective Beckett with the NYPD." She pulled her badge out and moved it closer to the door opening.

"Is he dead?" The woman questioned sadly, but clearly she was not surprised. "Did you find him?"

Castle looked woefully at Beckett. It still amazed him how resolute she stood and the amount of strength she offered to those she informed of their lost loved ones. "Unfortunately, yes. Frank Cortez was found in New York, ma'am." She nodded. "May we come in?" She asked carefully.

After thinking that the person on the other side had denied them entry, the door closed and the chain clanked against the wood.

"Come in." The woman opened the door and stepped aside for the pair to walk in. "Please, sit." She pointed to towards the small dining table.

For the first time in the last few minutes they saw the woman's face. Her face was pale and her eyes shone with certain sadness. She was beautiful, but evidently the events that led to this moment had taken their toll on her spirit.

Castle and Beckett nodded silently to thank her as they sat and waited for her to join them.

Castle looked around inconspicuously around the tiny apartment. Family photos hung on the walls, and even though the space was small, the place was very well kept and uncluttered.

"Mrs. Cortez?" Beckett asked tentatively to ensure she was indeed speaking to their victim's wife. The woman nodded. "When was the last time you saw your husband?"

The woman sat and looked sadly at her wedding ring. She toyed with it until she looked back up at Beckett. "A week ago." She sniffled softly. "I only declared him missing a few days ago because it was not unusual for him to be gone for a couple of days at a time."

Castle furrowed his eyebrows. "What did your husband do for a living, Ms. Cortez?"

She smiled at him with red eyes. "Frank worked as a custodian at the senior center in Hoboken."

Beckett and Castle smiled in response, but deep down they were trying desperately to connect the dots. "Do you know of anyone at work or outside of work that might have wanted to hurt him?"

With a shake of her head she answered his question. "No, and if there was he tried to keep it out of here. He was always trying to shelter me from his troubles." She shrugged. "He felt guilty for not being able to provide more for us so he kept me away from other things he felt would stress me out."

Beckett nodded. "Did you two have a family?" She questioned.

"No." The woman became serious as her eyes dropped to the table cloth underneath her palms. "We had been trying. But we have had two miscarriages."

With solemn looks Beckett and Castle nodded sympathetically at the woman before them. "Mrs. Cortez, do you know of any coworkers that your husband was close to that we may be able to talk to?" Beckett continued.

Mrs. Cortez nodded. "Sure. You can try Joe Mendez. He worked with Frank at the senior center." She knitted her brows as she spoke to them. "I haven't heard from Ana recently…his wife. She used to come by with little Joseph every now and then, but it's been a while. Maybe you can ask him how Ana is doing."

Beckett caught Castle's movement as he turned to face her with a disbelieving look. "Joe Mendez?" Castle made sure to clarify any misunderstanding without revealing what they already knew about Joe. The woman nodded.

"Thank you for the names, Mrs. Cortez." Beckett nodded both to Castle and the woman. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"No." She shook her head. "Nothing. Frank seemed himself. He was out a lot more, but he seemed no different that before."

Slowly Beckett stood to excuse themselves from her home. "Thank you very much for the information, Mrs. Cortez. We will do everything we can to find out what happened to your husband." She took a card out of her back pocket and handed it to her. "Please call me if you need anything or if something else comes to mind about your husband." Castle stood beside his wife.

Mrs. Cortez nodded quietly and responded as they walked towards the front door. "Thank you, Detective."

"We should head to the precinct, but I think we should call in Ana Mendez. There has to be a reason why she didn't report Joe as missing. I'll ask Ryan and Espo to call the senior center to check it out." Beckett talked as they walked out of the building and to her squad car.

* * *

Castle and Beckett strode in to the precinct with take-out bags from Remy's. They grinned a little when they heard the guys arguing about whether the smell was Remy's food or one of those franchise fast food places they tried to avoid.

"Told you, Javi." Ryan pointed to the bags as they spotted the pair.

Esposito just rolled his eyes and huffed out. "Whatever, Bro. I knew it was Remy's the entire time. Someone has to disagree with you to keep it interesting." He looked to Castle and Beckett. "Hey guys those for us?" He asked with hungry eyes.

Castle nodded with a smile. "Reward for the extra hours Beckett expects us to work tonight." He handed the bags to the two men. "Good to see you're on time today, Kevin." He teased and Ryan rolled his eyes.

Beckett laughed a little as she took her coat off and draped it over the back of her chair. Her hair fell softly forward as she sat in her chair and reached over to where Castle now sat, their food spread out on the corner of her desk.

They all sat in silence while they ate their burgers. Esposito and Ryan exchanged glances every few minutes while Castle and Beckett fought playfully, and supposedly discreetly, over the mountain of fries.

The quiet stretched out for a few minutes longer before Esposito cleared his throat.

Everyone automatically faced him with curious looks.

Castle tilted his head at the man's nervous appearance. "Sito…what's up?"

The man fumbled with a napkin as he rushed to clean his mouth. "Lanie called me down earlier. The evidence we found at one of the crime scenes did contain cocaine." Beckett and Castle looked at him intensely. "She had enough to run a chemical analysis and found that the cocaine matches samples that we have in evidence already."

Castle finished with the fry he held between his fingers. "Really? That's good news. What case?" He questioned.

Esposito looked quietly at Beckett as he formulated his response. "The drugs match those confiscated during the Vulcan Simmons case, Beckett." He shook his head apologetically.

 **...**

 **In a perfect world, I foresaw this ending by the time Castle came back from hiatus. In the real world (which is much better than perfect), I foresee this being one heck of a ride that won't be over so soon. Hang on peeps!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: Thank you guys for all of the reviews and advice. You guys are great. V, thanks for always helping out with the editing! Enjoy guys!

* * *

Beckett sat quietly as she looked carefully between her friends and her husband. The curveball the universe had thrown her making her heart drop.

Everything was still for a moment.

Her blood boiled with a burning need to toss everything aside and solve the case at whatever cost.

Her eyes burned from the lack of blinking as she concentrated on her next move.

"Kate?" Castle finally reached out to touch her shoulder. Her frozen state sent a shiver down his spine.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Beckett shook her head and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes now locked on Castle's. "I'm fine, Castle." She turned back to Esposito. "Espo I need you and Ryan to call the senior center in Hoboken where Frank Cortez and Joe Mendez worked. I need to know who they talked to, who they ate lunch with, who they had beers with, everything." Beckett couldn't help the cringe that took over her as she heard the flat tone with which she addressed her team. "Please."

The two men nodded at her as they rid their desks of the food and proceeded to grab notepads and pens to start their calls.

Castle exhaled slowly as he moved his gaze from the boys back to Beckett's hazel eyes. "It can mean anything. It doesn't have to be connected to your mom." He discreetly rubbed her knee with his hand.

Beckett smiled at his optimistic remark, but she shook her head slowly at him. "We both know that wherever this takes us, it will have _something_ to do with my mother's case."

She looked up at him as he took her hands in his. "I will be here every step of the way, and if it happens to take us there, we will figure it out together." He smiled at her and she nodded back at him.

"Alright." She inhaled deeply and stood up. "Let's get Ana Mendez in here." Her eyes dropped back down to Castle's with a renewed sense of determination and hope.

* * *

Ryan and Esposito left to follow up on names obtained from their calls to the senior center as Castle and Beckett stayed behind.

They now sat in the conference room, each holding a steaming cup of coffee as they looked upon Mrs. Mendez.

The woman dabbed sadly at the tear tracks on her face. "He was working. I knew he was going to be away for a few days, but when I got the call from the man he's been helping…" she paused, "well you can see there was no need to report him as missing."

Castle furrowed his brows. "The man he's helping? What is he helping this man with?"

"Joe has always been in and out of trouble. He was fired two years ago from a previous job and only started working at the senior center this year." She began. "A few months ago he was arrested for hiding packages of drugs in his car trunk. He insisted they weren't his, but they were going to put him away for years." She played with the tissue in her hands as the pair listened on. "That's when he was approached by the man…an FBI agent." Beckett and Castle both thought back to the profile for Frank Cortez. Remembering that he had been cleared by the FBI, they waited eagerly for her to finish piecing everything together for them. "In order to walk away from the charges he had to agree to work under cover for the agent. He was working to bring down a major drug circle here in New York. His role was to play the dealer in order to get close to the boss." Mrs. Mendez paused. "A few months later he got called to work directly for him, but then I got the call that he was dead." A few tears escape her eyes once again. "Was it them? Did they kill him?"

Beckett shook her head. "We don't know, but we are trying to get to the bottom of this. One of his friends was killed as well, it could be that they were working together and had a deal go bad." She looked at the woman. "We will find out who murdered your husband, Mrs. Mendez." The woman nodded gratefully at them.

"Mrs. Mendez, do you have a name for the man…this Agent that was working with your husband?" Castle asked.

"No." She responded.

"What about a number?" Beckett added.

"He called from a private number each time." She shook her head. "I have no way of contacting him. He always called Joe not the other way around."

They nodded, disappointed that their best lead could go cold on account of they had no way of getting in touch with the only man who could help them solve the case. "Mrs. Mendez, does the name Vulcan Simmons mean anything to you?" Beckett continued.

The lady shook her head with knitted brows. "Can't say it does. Is that the friend that was killed?"

Castle looked at Beckett as he waited for her to respond. "No. No it wasn't. We've spoken with Mrs. Cortez. She's the one that gave us your husband's name."

At the sound of the name the woman's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "Frank is dead?" She asked in tears.

"Yes, ma'am." Castle responded.

The room went silent as she wiped at more tears. It was a few moments later that Beckett spoke. "Mrs. Mendez is there anything else that you can share with us regarding your husband?"

"No. I'm sorry. That's all I know." She sniffled.

"Thank you for coming in Mrs. Mendez." Beckett stood waiting for Castle and the woman to follow suit. "We'll keep in touch, please do the same if you remember anything else."

Castle sat deep in thought in the conference room as he waited for Beckett to return from escorting Mrs. Mendez out.

His mind churned the information over and over.

Beckett walked in to the room. "Well, now what?" Castle jumped a bit at her voice.

He turned to her with a curious look on his face. "This might be bigger than we thought. The FBI actively investigating a drug ring and their two assets get killed." He shook his head in thought. "We need to get with Espo and Ryan. The senior center is our main point of focus." He stated as he stood to walk out and towards their white board.

Her heels clicked as she followed closely behind. "What are you thinking?" She asked for his theory.

Castle grabbed a red marker and jotted some notes under each victim. "Both men were in the slumps, one struggling with his wife's two miscarriages and his inability to get her out of a rundown neighborhood, the other out of work trying to provide for his wife and son. This FBI agent did his homework. He chose two men hungry for money- desperate to be the providers for their family. And he did it out of that senior center." He placed the marker back on the holder and turned to Beckett. "We need to get with Ryan and Espo to see what they found there." Castle concluded as he walked towards her desk to sit in his chair.

Beckett smiled at him as he waited for her to take her seat. He was trying his best to keep her sane with his down-to-earth theories, instead of his eccentric ideas. She loved that he would do that for her. A small sigh escaped her lips as she sat down. "Thanks, babe." She whispered to him as she woke her computer up.

His perplexed look made her smile wider. "What for?"

"For being here." She shrugged.

He grinned at her before he responded, "always."

 **…**

 **The ball is starting to roll here. I'm excited. Are you guys excited? I hope you are enjoying the journey. Stick around folks, I intend to satisfy our Castle hunger...especially now that they have moved the premier date again for Season 8B. :-/**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: Thank you all for the continued words of encouragement. Sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy!

* * *

"Kate?" Castle called her as he drank his coffee with a spatula in hand.

Her eyes came up from her pancakes to look at him. "Yes?"

His smile was inevitable as he witnessed the satisfied look after a forkful of syrupy deliciousness. "Enjoying those are we?" He teased and she nodded as she continued to eat. "What do you want for Christmas?" He asked nonchalantly as he flipped another pancake.

Beckett stopped to ponder before she shrugged. "I have no idea, babe." She smiled. "You." She replied in jest, although her delivery was sweet.

Castle grinned at her before he returned to concentrating on the pancake. "Tell me what wrapping paper and colored bow you would like, and I can make it happen." He grinned.

They shared a smile before he continued. "So did you get me the light saber I've been wanting?" She shook her head teasingly while she took another bite of pancakes. "Not fair. Just because you didn't want one, doesn't mean I didn't want one." He pouted.

She laughed softly. Her smile fading slightly as she heard the distant ring of her phone. "We can discuss this later." Beckett stood to walk towards their bedroom. "Dinner?" She called back; not noticing the smile Castle flashed her.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Castle." Rick nodded with satisfaction and reached over the island to steal some of her pancakes.

Initially, he waited for Kate to return, but when he noticed she had been gone for a few minutes he decided to check out the situation. Placing the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, he moved around the island to walk towards their room.

"Thanks Espo." He stood in the door frame as he heard her sign off. Her eyes moved immediately to him.

"What is it?" Castle questioned.

Beckett looked up from where she sat on the bed. "That was Espo and Ryan. We got an anonymous call to the station."

His brows knitted automatically. "A call about?"

"A request to stay away from the case." Her eyes caught his, heavy with disappointment. Because they had been here so many times before. Close to something, and yet too close for the comfort of those who conspired against them.

Castle understood his wife's turmoil, and immediately began to walk towards the restroom, but not before he locked eyes with her. "Like hell we will."

* * *

The morning had just started, but the precinct was abuzz with life.

"Guys." Beckett and Castle walked in to the precinct side by side, and immediately the men were in front of them.

"Beckett…" Ryan began. "The message was saved to all of our phones." He pointed to her desk. "Check it out."

Beckett walked to her desk with Castle in tow. Anxiously she pushed on the message light to play the voicemail on the speaker.

' _I know you want answers, it's in your nature, but don't. You must stop this crusade.'_ They all listened attentively to the distorted voice. Their eyes fixed on the phone as if willing a face to appear. _'You'll only end up getting more than you bargained for. Beckett, leave this case alone before you and those around you get hurt.'_

The line went quiet before a deafening click sounded to disconnect the call. The group looked at each other, rooted to the ground and searching urgently for words. Beckett sighed as she finally moved to sit down. Castle stood beside her. "Did the voice sound at all familiar to you, Beckett?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No. I couldn't make it out. Espo…Ryan…how about you guys?" She looked up at them and they both shook their heads. "And we got nothing from the call? No trace, no name, nothing?" Kate asked.

"Nope." Esposito responded. "We got in early this morning, saw the blinking lights on all three phones and played the message. The call must have come in overnight." He continued. "What do you want to do?"

Castle and her team studied Beckett and waited for her response.

"We keep going." She nodded determinedly before she sat back in her chair. "What did you guys find out at the senior center?" The men all nodded and each grabbed their chair to continue their case.

Ryan pulled out his notepad to recount their discussions. "Nobody knew who Eric or Rob were. The guys went by their given names at the center. When we talked to most of the seniors about Frank and Joe, they had a lot to say." Esposito nodded in agreement. "Joe worked there for a while before Frank came in. They seemed to hit it off immediately because one of the seniors mentioned they would leave work together a lot to go out drinking. They used to talk to the seniors about their outings at the local bars." Ryan flipped a page in his notebook. "A couple of months ago though, Frank brought someone else in to the group. A guy named John would visit often under the pretense that he had a grandfather there. And the two became inseparable."

"So much so that some of the seniors joked about an affair." Esposito jumped in with a smile. "The guy would come in, pull Frank aside to sit in the garden alone for at least an hour every day, and then went about his _visit_."

"Let me guess. He had no grandfather there." Castle looked carefully at his friend and sighed at his head shake. "What about Joe? Did he and John talk at all?" He questioned.

Esposito nodded. "For the most part they weren't as chummy, but all three were known to leave together to go bar-hopping from time to time."

"That doesn't make sense." Beckett finally chimed in. "Two men under so much stress at home would not blow money on bars." She continued.

"They would if they just wanted to numb themselves." Ryan answered.

She shook her head. "No. These guys were desperate enough to become dealers to make money for their families. They were not bar-hopping. We have a last name for this John guy?" She grabbed her pen to jot notes on her stationary.

Ryan shook his head disappointingly. "No one knew his last name."

Castle tilted his head in curiosity. "Why did the center not report the men as missing when they failed to show up for work?" He stated, but frowned when both Esposito and Ryan shook their heads. "What?" Castle asked.

"Turns out they were all under the impression that Frank and Joe were on vacation together with their families. One of them told us Frank mentioned John was renting a cabin out to them for a few weeks. No one's seen John since either."

Beckett sighed in frustration before she stood up. "Who the hell is this John guy?" She asked out loud. "Do we have sign-in logs?"

"Checked those." Esposito replied. "He signed in almost every day, but never left any information other than his first name."

The group once again looked around at each other in silence. It seemed to them they had a lot of information that led them back to more dead ends. The frustration was palpable, and they each lived in their own thoughts to make sense of it all.

"I want to go back to the center." Beckett sounded off as she walked over to the board to add John's name with a question mark. "We need more on this mystery man." She walked back to her desk to retrieve her leather folder and a pen. "Good job guys." A small smile formed on her face as she acknowledged her team. "Let's go Castle."

Her footsteps retreated quickly before he stood. "No coffee before we go, then." He shrugged as he stood to follow her, leaving the men to shake their heads in amazement at his attempt to lighten the situation in true Castle fashion.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't have the logs?" Beckett huffed at the woman behind the reception desk.

The woman looked around frantically before she responded timidly. "We gave the logs to the cop that came in this morning." She sighed. "The two gentlemen last night only asked to see them, but this cop wanted to take them with him…along with a few security tapes he viewed." Her voice cracked with a hint of nervousness.

Beckett and Castle looked at each other. They were astonished with the new development in their case. "Did you happen to get this detective's name?" Castle spoke low to her with hopes at pacifying her anxiety.

"He said his name was Detective Alan Smith." She replied with a small smile at him.

"Can you describe him to us, please?" Beckett added.

The woman looked up at the ceiling in thought. "He was slender, about six feet tall. Piercing blue eyes with a strong jaw. And brown hair." She finished.

"Is that camera working?" Beckett pointed to the camera above the desk area with her pen.

She turned to the camera and slumped her shoulders. "Yes. But the detective this morning took even recent tapes, and I only got it back online after he left." The woman responded.

Castle watched his partner as she wrote everything down before he turned to face the woman. "Thank you. Would you happen to know anyone named John? He would come in to visit his grandfather almost every day."

She smiled before she shook her head sadly. "I know who you are talking about, but we caught on to the fact that he had no one here. We all thought he might be after Frank. He was so nice, always smiled as he walked in. Never seemed threatening. Is he responsible for their deaths?"

Rick turned to Beckett to see if she wanted to continue with her questioning, but she looked intently at the woman, her pen poised to write her response to anything else he asked. "We're not sure, but we need to talk to him. If he does happen to come by again, please call us." Castle handed her Beckett's card and she nodded.

"Thank you for your time." Beckett added before she turned to walk out.

She was halfway to the car before Castle could catch up to her. "Are you alright?" He asked as he approached the passenger door.

Her nod could have fooled anyone else, but never Richard Castle. He knew her better than anyone else did. He also knew she would tell him what was wrong as soon as she recollected herself so he left it at that, and got into the car.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. "I don't like this." He sighed inwardly as she spoke to him.

"Neither do I." He responded as he took her right hand in his.

 **…**

 **Dun Dun Dun. So who do we think left the message? Any guesses?**

 **Thank you for reading, friends. See you guys next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: Thank you all for the continued words of encouragement. Sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy!

* * *

The door knob clicked shut behind the would-be detective.

"Did you get the package?" A young man hidden by the shadows in his office asked from behind a desk. The thick blinds at his back allowed almost no sunlight into the space.

"I got the logs and any video footage, yes." Another man responded as he threw the merchandise on the desk. "They won't stop digging. I know they won't. Trust me, no matter how many roadblocks we throw at them, eventually they will get to the bottom of it all."

A fist slammed down on the desk so violently that the man ceased to speak. "Then I will leave it up to you to ensure that never happens." The young man's voice was cold and unwavering.

The man shook his head frustrated. "You have no idea what that will take, how far we might have to go."

"Then…" the young man paused to stand and walk towards his whiskey collection in a corner of the room. "…do whatever you must." He finished as he poured himself some of the drink. "Don't fail me, Alan. Remember what's at stake, and who brought you here."

"Then might I suggest you be a bit more careful next time." Alan responded as he straightened his gun holster. "I could have sent some one else to recruit men for us. We don't need you going out there and exposing yourself because you don't trust anyone to do the work for you."

A small chuckle sounded in the darkness. "Thank you for the advice." The young man responded as he made his way back to his desk with a glass tumbler in hand. "Now please, go make sure that pretty little detective stays away from my business. And if I may make a suggestion myself, stay in the shadows. If she sees you, then it's all downhill from there." He sat down with a wave of his hand to excuse Alan from his office.

* * *

Beckett continued to drive as Castle held her hand. Her eyes were glued to the road, but the way she squinted alerted him that she was deep in thought, and not about the moving lane stripes before them.

"Penny for your thoughts." He opened with hopes that she would respond.

A small smile split across her face, and he allowed himself to loosen up. "Sorry." She replied. "I'm just trying to understand what the hell is going on." She squeezed his hand. "Whoever is behind all of this has quick reinforcements. Espo and Ryan were just there last night, and already this morning possible evidence is wiped out." Castle shook his head disappointedly. "Someone is watching all of this very closely, and they are cleaning up after themselves to make sure we don't get very far."

"Do you think the call that came in to the station last night came from whoever is behind this?" Castle asked her with a sideways glance.

Kate shrugged. "Possibly. Maybe they were there when the guys went in to ask questions, and they called to warn us to stop. Seems desperate though. That would be a last resort for someone running such an elaborate scheme."

He dropped her hand to shift his body. Looking more directly at her, "The person who called knows you, Kate. He called you Beckett. _Beckett_ …not detective. We can have someone analyze the voice behind the synthesizer, and then perhaps we find out who called you and whose side they are on."

Kate nodded hopefully at him and smiled. "Know a guy?" She asked.

"I know a guy." He nodded with a grin.

* * *

Kate looked around cautiously as Castle opened the steel door for her. Behind it was a dimly lit room whose walls were covered from top to bottom in newspaper, magazine, and internet printed clippings. It was like something out of a television show.

"Rick!" A balding man with thick glasses approached them. "You still remember your access code?" He smiled at him as he approached the pair.

Castle opened his arms to hug the man. "I could never forget that access code, Matt. Never." He grinned.

The men shared nerdy grins before Matt turned towards Beckett. "And this beautiful lady is?" He fixed his glasses by pushing up at them in the middle.

"Matt, this is Detective Kate Beckett with the NYPD." Castle motioned to her with his hand. "My wife."

Neither Beckett nor Castle missed the look of awe that was plastered on Matt's face. "Wow. Where did I go wrong?" He smiled as he took her hand in his to kiss her knuckles. "They didn't make them like you when I was his age, Detective. Most women steered clear of my devilish charms."

Beckett smiled at the entire exchange. She was right. Straight out of a television show. Something about where the nerds congregated to talk conspiracies…a la Lone Gunmen. She laughed inwardly at her joke. "I tried my best with him, but somehow here I am." She teased as she looked sideways at Castle who was smiling from ear to ear.

"It's a pleasure." Matt finished as he released her hand. Beckett nodded in response. "So what can I do for you, Ricky?" The man faced Castle.

Castle walked over to the man's work table where a bright light illuminated refurbished computer parts and a soldering gun. "Remember when you helped me iron out some details about voice synthesizers for a Derrick Storm novel?" Matt nodded curiously as he walked to the table. Beckett quickly handed Castle her phone. "Got another project." He waved the phone at the man.

Taking the mobile eagerly from Castle, Matt sat at his work stool. "What do you have for me?" He stared at the black screen.

"A voice message. Someone used a synthesizer to distort the voice. Came in to the precinct where we work. We were wondering if you could help analyze it, maybe clean it up enough for us to ID the person behind the call." Castle responded.

Matt nodded as he handed Beckett the phone. "I can do it myself, but I'd rather not pry. Might scare you off. Wouldn't want that." He smiled at her. She caught on to what he was referring to and swiftly unlocked the phone for him before she handed it back to him.

Beckett observed the man interestedly. He was extremely brainy, and his age did nothing to hinder his knowledge about modern day technology and iPhones. She continued to watch alongside Castle as he opened background apps she had no idea existed.

Soon he had her phone wired to a computer on his table as he transferred files out and into his hard drive. "This might take me some time." He readjusted his glasses as he looked up at the twosome. "I am exporting the voicemail message along with its background files so you may keep your phone while I work." He paused as the phone lit up and beeped. "I can call you guys as soon as I have something, unless you guys care to accompany me for a few hours while I work on this." He smiled at Beckett.

Castle shook his head with a smile. "We'd love to stay, Matt, but we have plans. The lady owes me dinner." He flashed Beckett his boyish grin.

"Lucky you, kid." Matt replied with a shake of his head. "Don't let me entertain you then. Get out of here. I will call you as soon as I crack something on this puppy."

Both Castle and Beckett smiled at the older man before they turned around and began to walk towards the door.

"So what's your password, Castle?" Beckett asked as she got into the passenger seat.

Castle flashed her a foolish grin. "TrustNo1." He replied with a wink. She could not help the laugh that bubbled to the surface. Her husband would never change, and she loved it.

"Nice one, Mulder." She laughed as they drove off.

* * *

After much coaxing from Castle, Beckett had agreed to share a quiet night out with him.

They ate a comfortable dinner at Le Bernardin, discussing only topics that had no relation to work.

It was all a welcomed change of pace. And for however long they could enjoy it-they would, because it was far too easy to forget what peace and quiet felt like in their line of work.

Beckett smiled as she listened intently to Castle's rant about light sabers and the newest installment of Star Wars as they waited for the check. His eyes glimmered with the light from the centerpiece. "It really is a great idea, but if you can't get a lightsaber, I completely understand." He finally finished with a grin. "I know you might not have the pull that I do." He teased.

She fought against the urge to kick his shin under the table, and opted for a mock glare instead. "I can always return what I did manage to get for you. But I am certain you would regret that." She shot back and smiled victoriously as he frowned back.

Not much longer after that, they waited hand in hand curbside as a young valet drove up with Castle's car. "Here you go, ma'am." He walked around quickly to open the door for Beckett. "Sir, this was on your windshield." He handed Castle a manila envelope.

Castle accepted the package curiously while he handed the young man a tip. "Thank you." He responded and walked around to get in the driver's seat.

"What is it?" Beckett asked him anxiously.

His hands worked swiftly to tear open the envelope. "Looks like a note is taped inside." He eyed her before looking inside warily. Once he was satisfied that it would not pose any danger, he pulled a folded piece of paper out.

"We are watching you." Kate read out loud before she locked eyes with Castle.

 **…**

 **How was that? Getting closer and closer to seeing who is behind all of this. ;-)**

 **Also, getting closer to Castle Monday! Next week. Who's ready?**

 **I decided to throw in a small treat for all of us X-Files fans with the references to Frohike and the Lone Gunmen. Hoped you all liked that. See you next week.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: I apologize for the delay in posting this. Life got busy with work, Superbowl, X-Files, and Castle this weekend. Getting through reviews today. Be patient I have not forgotten about your kind words of encouragement. Thank you V for the help, and welcome to the dark side! Muahahahaha. Here we go...

* * *

It was hard to breathe as she kneeled in the dark.

Her vision was blurred with unshed tears, and her body refused to move along with her mind.

She wanted- needed to get closer to where his body lay motionless.

Why was this happening?

"Castle." She managed to choke out despite the dry lump of emotions in her throat, but he remained still and lifeless.

Why was this happening?

Kate looked down to ascertain why her feet could not carry her to him. The air in her lungs burned as she saw a bullet hole in each leg.

Even crawling was not an option as her arms weighed her down and anchored her to the concrete below.

"Castle." She cried as she hunched over from a mixture of pain and regret.

"Kate." She heard through the fog, but failed to see him move. "Kate." He repeated. "Beckett." This time she felt her body shake.

Why was this happening?

"Castle?" She asked in the dark.

A shake ran through her body again as she heard his voice. "Beckett, sweetie, wake up."

Her eyes shot open and almost instinctively she gasped for a breath of fresh air as her arms wrapped around him. "Castle." She inhaled his scent to convince herself he was real.

"Are you alright?" Rick whispered in the darkness as he held himself above her. "You kept calling my name in your sleep. Want to talk about it?" He used one hand to rub her back soothingly.

He could feel Kate shake her head against his shoulder.

"I'm alright." She released him as she moved to stroke his face.

"Don't shut me out, Kate." He whispered with a tentative look etched on his features. "Please."

There was a lot she wanted to say, so many words she wanted to share with him. Most of them revolved around her fear of losing him, and the regret that kept bubbling to the surface every time she realized she was letting him stay involved in the case.

It was the only case currently on her team's plate, and the only one that mattered equally to both Rick and her. She knew there was no way he would ever willingly walk away. She hated to admit that a small part of her wanted him not to.

Alas, she did not utter a single word.

She moved to engage Rick in a deep caressing of lips.

The need to feel all of him overwhelmed her and she did not hide it as she urged him to cover her completely.

Without hesitation, Rick moved to hover over her, never once breaking contact with her skin. When his lips were not on Kate's, they were skimming the curves of her neck, the hollow of her throat, or the soft apples of her cheeks.

He was gifting her his love and comfort, and she was allowing herself the pleasure of basking in his ministrations.

The minutes ticked by, but neither of them knew for how long as they slowly disrobed each other. Every article of clothing or two they paused to lock eyes or lips, and they did so tenderly and without any sense of urgency. Almost painstakingly slow, and neither cared much. All that mattered was that they were in the moment together.

Kate smiled from beneath his naked form as he buried his fingers in her hair, attempting to pull her in for another earth-shattering kiss.

They were so good at all of this.

Even after all of this time.

Married or not, the spark had yet to diminish, and she doubted it ever would.

Castle finally relinquished his hold on her mouth to whisper his love as they finally moved together as one.

Sighs and moans were silenced by kisses and roaming lips, and it was some time later that they lay tangled in a heap of sheets and limbs.

Spent and satisfied, they looked up at the moonlit ceiling. Each sensing the need to reassure the other, but opting for the silence instead. Not because they feared to speak, but because deep down they knew what the other was thinking.

And they were both right.

Danger was imminent, but neither would walk away from it, not for as long as they lived. Because in every sense of the word, they were partners.

* * *

"Thanks for the update." Esposito hung up the phone as he swiveled in his chair to look at Beckett.

Her eyes locked with his. "Anything?"

"No." He stood. "The envelope and note were spotless. There were no fingerprints on either, and the adhesive was clean, too." He shook his head.

Beckett nodded, somehow sensing that would be the case. "Where are you going?" She asked as she saw him put on his sports jacket.

"Someone is following you, Beckett. I'm going to get a team together. We'll keep surveillance on you and Castle."

"No, I need you here." She shook her head adamantly at him. "We don't need any bodyguards." She continued.

He opened his mouth to argue, but thought better as he compromised. "Ok. Ryan and I will get a team together, and we'll be right back here as soon as we hand of the task to them. You need someone to be on the look-out, Beckett." He walked up to her and gently squeezed her shoulder. "See you later." He finished as he walked towards the elevator.

Kate sat at her desk, observing as other officers went about their day, unaware of the war that raged on her side of the precinct.

She finally looked down at her desk and rummaged through files as she sought out more on Joe and Frank. Something that perhaps they had missed before. Her eyes scanned page after page, and she became so immersed in the content that she jumped at the sound of her phone.

"Castle?" She questioned as she set the file down. "What is it?"

"Matt just called. He found something. Meet me at the place." He spoke on the other end.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Kate disconnected the call as she rushed out.

* * *

"Were you followed?" Castle asked as he exited his car to make his way to her.

"No." Beckett replied. "I made sure to check. Espo and Ryan are getting a team together for surveillance as we speak, though." Castle nodded as he began to walk towards the entrance of the building.

He was quick to key in his code. "What do you have, Matt?" He asked as they stepped through the door.

The older man smiled triumphantly at them from where he sat in his stool. "Hello again, Kate." He removed his glasses to speak to them. "You guys are going to love me for this." He extended a tablet to them as they stood around his work table.

Beckett and Castle looked anxiously between him and the numbers on screen. "The suspense is killing me, Matt." Castle responded somewhat frustrated.

"Alright, Ricky. Alright." He grinned. "Not only did I manage to clean up the voice, but after using countless programs and IT hacks, I managed to decrypt the hidden location from the call." He frowned at the confused looks the pair gave him. "The numbers on your screen are all fancy tricks he used to block tracing devices and hide his location. I bypassed them, not easily, but I did. The signal from his call pinged off of a tower in Washington, DC. After some more fancy hacking, I managed to get my hands on recorded signals from that tower and worked backwards from there. I got a phone number that matched the detail logs from your phones." He looked at Kate. "Same time, same duration." He signaled for her to swipe at the screen, and she did. "That's the number. It belongs to a Special Agent Hank Roberts." He finished with a wide smile.

Castle and Beckett sighed with relief at the new information. "Matt I owe you big time." Castle rounded the desk and enveloped the man in a crushing hug. Beckett smiled and nodded in agreement with Castle's comment.

"Matt this is great, thank you." She nodded as she pulled her phone out to save the number. "We do owe you."

"I'd settle for a hug from you." He winked at her and grinned, but it was short-lived as both Castle and Beckett changed the subject.

"What about the voice, Matt?" Castle asked eagerly. "Got the recording?"

The man nodded as he tinkered with a device that was hooked up to his computer. "It's not perfect, but this is as clean as I could get it." He clicked a button on the device and listened to the voicemail with them.

Matt watched the sound waves on his screen as he was pulled from them with a loud crash. His eyes flew to Beckett.

Her face was as pale as a ghost, her hands empty in front of her as she let the tablet slip out of her grip and fall towards the floor. Her mouth slightly a jar as she struggled to breathe.

Castle too looked at her in shock as he listened to voice.

"Ricky?" Matt sounded off.

"That's not possible." Castle shook his head at Beckett who finally locked eyes with him after having stared at nothing in particular for those few shocking seconds. "It's a coincidence." He looked at her desperately waiting for her to react. To speak to him. "It's not possible." He insisted.

"Rick?" Matt questioned again as the room stood silent once the voice cut off and the click of a hanging phone echoed in the space.

 **…**

 **Who do you think the voice belongs to? Five virtual bucks to the first person who gives me the name. :-) Stick around folks, the roller-coaster is about to take off.**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: This chapter will mark the first of a few twists in this story. This has been an idea that has floated around in my mind for some time, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. Thanks again V for the help! You are awesome.

* * *

Beckett stood fixed to her spot as her world became shrouded in a blanket of confusion.

She knew she had to say something sooner or later, formulate a reasonable answer as to what they thought was occurring. Yet she could barely breathe in and exhale, let alone string words together into coherent sentences.

"Can one of you fill me in on what is happening?" Matt traded glares with both Beckett and Castle.

After what seemed like an eternity, Castle finally cleared his throat and turned to look at Matt, but not before taking a quick second to make sure Beckett was alright. "The voice Matt, is there any way that we can clear it up more?"

Matt shook his head. "It took me this long to get it to where it is. Besides, I doubt you need it, it seems pretty evident that you both know who it is." He looked at Beckett. "Kate, would you like a glass of water, sweetie? You look awfully pale." He asked concerned for her well being.

Kate shook her head. "Castle…" She finally swallowed the dryness in her throat that threatened to bring tears to her eyes. "It can't be him." She shook her head in denial.

He nodded. "We both know it can't be."

"Why don't we call the number and find out if this person is who you both think it is?" Matt suggested.

The pair locked gazes. Matt had a point, but neither was exactly prepared to prove what the evidence was already hinting at.

"I can rustle up a few codes to encrypt our location. We can put him on speaker." Matt offered as he waited for their answer.

Silently battling with the possible outcomes, Castle stared at his wife. She could say yes, and they could find out that the last few years of their lives had all been a lie. Or she could say no, and they could walk away empty handed-with only a forgotten number saved to the internal memory of her phone.

He knew her well, though. And he was certain that she would meet this latest task head on.

"Let's do it." Her eyes narrowed with determination.

"Give me a second to set up the tablet with the codes." The man responded as he worked on his computer. "Are we ready?" He looked at the pair.

Slowly Beckett moved around the work table to stand next to Castle. A heavy sigh escaped her before she nodded. "Ready." She closed her eyes to ready herself as she felt Castle scoot closer to her.

A dial tone sounded and echoed in the room before the number was dialed. The anticipation built, and both Beckett and Castle fought against the anxious feeling in their stomachs.

The ringing of the phone pierced their ears and increased their heart rates with every second that ticked by.

Castle fidgeted with an invisible lint ball in his pant pocket. The blood in his ears rushing so violently that it almost succeeded in drowning out the voice that finally sounded from the speaker.

"Special Agent Roberts." A booming voice answered the call. Its owner now unmistakable to both of the people who had suspected it in the first place. Their hearts sank immediately. Under different circumstances they would probably be elated with the turn of events, but Beckett felt sick as the bile in her stomach fought to surface. "Hello?"

Everything told her not to speak. It was best to confirm now and address it later, but her heart seemed to want to overpower whatever logic she worked out. "Roy."

Castle turned to her, surprised at the sound of her voice. His heart breaking even more as he witnessed the tear that marred her features.

Silence erupted from everyone. The only possible noise coming from the fan on the computer tower that sliced through the air.

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number." The man attempted to play them, but Castle's protective instincts soon kicked in.

"I think that after all of these years, Kate deserves a little more than that." His eyes burned with anger and a convoluted mess of emotions.

Matt sat silent as he witnessed the exchange.

A sigh came through the speaker loud and clear. Obviously the man felt every bit as emotional. "I'm sorry." The man finally spoke.

"I think we need to talk." Kate swiped at her tears after she spoke, and nodded to herself.

After a few seconds of silence, silence that threatened to suffocate her, the voice spoke. "Not on the phone. I will send you the address of a secure location." He responded before the line went dead.

The pair sighed simultaneously as they looked at each other when a beeping sounded from Beckett's phone. "I got it. Ready?" She looked up at Castle who only nodded at her questioning gaze.

"Thank you, Matt. I'll call you later." Castle patted the man softly and dismally on the back before he turned to walk out of the room with his wife.

* * *

To say that everything seemed surreal was an understatement.

How had everything changed so much and stayed the same so suddenly?

Beckett had been asking herself that question the entire car ride with Castle. She was grateful he offered to drive and leave his car behind; because in her current mental state she was not sure she would have arrived at any destination.

Together they exited her car and walked towards what looked to be an abandoned barn. The air was cold and it pierced their bones as the wind swirled around them. Crunching could be heard as their feet stepped in small amounts of snow.

They neared the main doors, and the couple seemed hesitant to make the final push into the building. One way or another, everything was about to change.

Finally Beckett moved to push the door open as Castle followed right behind her. His breath on the back of her neck was the only thing that felt real and comforting about the entire situation.

Despite the fact that the barn was intact and solidly built, Beckett's body shivered from the cold. Her own breath visible with the help from a small lantern that hung on the side of the entrance.

They followed an open isle that led towards a wooden staircase. Either side of the pathway was filled with broken down machinery and rusted cars, a clear sign that no one had occupied the barn for some time.

There was no denying that the place possessed a certain darkness and ominous feel to it. Beckett sighed, suddenly very aware of the fact that the last time she had walked into a similar situation, she had done so alone. Castle had shown up just in time to force her away from danger, but her plans had never been to include him that night in the hangar.

She thanked the powers that be for granting her some sense this time around. Having him around not only served as her back up, but she knew he was often times her strength.

"Castle." Beckett reached back to take hold of his hand for support.

He squeezed her smaller hand in his and whispered from behind her, "I'm here, Beckett." He released her hand and sped up so he could walk beside her.

Together they ascended the steps to a platform that was dimly lit by a single hanging bulb.

A man, the man that they lost so many years ago, sat before them in a wooden chair beneath the light. His eyes were downcast and on a table before him were his service pistol and his badge. Two empty chairs sat across from him.

Castle and Beckett laid their eyes on him, but remained speechless.

Aside from the fact that his mustache was more clearly painted in silver, he looked the same. He was the same man that they had mourned for all those years before, but how was any of it possible? They had heard multiple shots. Beckett had tried to stop the bleeding. He had died for her, and for her mother.

"Kate…Rick…" Roy spoke, but kept his eyes trained on the wooden table.

"How?" Kate finally whispered through the tears that fell from her eyes once again. "How is this possible?" She fought hard against the swaying feeling in her body.

Silence.

Nobody in the barn spoke again for a few minutes as Beckett and Castle studied the man before them.

"Roy." Castle finally broke the awkward quiet with a strong demanding voice.

Sensing the man's irritated tone, Roy finally looked up to the pair and motioned for them to sit down.

"I think I'll stand." Beckett replied as she stopped the tears from making their way down again with her fingers.

The older man nodded as he remained seated. "I'm so sorry Kate. I know you must feel confused and upset." He began.

"Try betrayed." She shook her head in disbelief while Castle moved his eyes to look at her.

Roy shook his head as well. "I never meant to betray you. I didn't do this to betray you, Kate." He swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to reassure her.

"Then why?" Castle asked, finally tearing his eyes from his wife to look at the man. "What the hell is going on Roy?"

A long sigh escaped the man before he rubbed his head with both hands and leaned forward on the table. His elbows planted on the wood to help support him as he held his chin on his knuckles. "So many reasons. So many things. I don't even know where to start." He admitted.

"The beginning." Kate interjected. "The hangar…" She fought the tears again as she recalled the horrific events of that night. "What happened there was a lie?" She questioned, her eyes sad and as fragile as a young girl's.

"No." He shook his head steadfastly. "No, everything about that night was real." He too fought the emotions that threatened to overtake him as he remembered the night.

"How…why…I'm still having a hard time here, Roy." Castle sighed.

Roy finally stood to pace. "That night was meant to end the way it did, and I meant every word of what I said to you, Kate." He stopped in his tracks to face her from behind the table. "But it was prearranged." He rubbed his face with his palm. "What I'm about to tell you, it cannot leave this building. We are here in confidence, and I expect you two to help me keep this going." He sighed as he continued. Beckett and Castle nodded, patiently waiting to hear his explanation. "A few days prior to that night, I met with a friend of mine at the FBI. I told him that in exchange for information on those mobster kidnappings, I required their help to keep my family safe." Roy paused to look at Kate. "To keep you safe." Beckett felt a wave of emotions rise to the surface at his words.

"They did a hell of a job." Castle interrupted their moment, not being able to fight the anger that rose inside of him. "Where was the FBI when Kate got shot at _your_ funeral, Roy? We almost lost her. She almost died in my arms." His eyes reddened with every word he spoke.

The man shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry about that." He sighed. "We had no idea that they would strike. Especially not after I had taken down Lockwood with me and the case files had been sent to Smith." He shook his head again. "I died believing you would be safe." His eyes glimmered with tears. "I found out weeks after I recovered, and my heart broke." He smiled apologetically at her before he continued. "After Lockwood shot me down, I was declared dead on the scene, but the FBI took me to their medical facility to work on me. They had me in a medically induced coma for six weeks, and even after I woke up it took me months to fully recover from all of my injuries." He looked down at his belongings when he took the badge and scoot it closer towards the pair. "They gave me a new identity." He pointed to the badge. "To keep me safe and out of the minds of Bracken and his men, and so I could continue to fight against him from the sidelines. I was never going to stop…I never stopped looking for ways to help you get him, Kate."

"I almost died. I wasted another year of my life trying to find out who was behind my mother's murder. I almost lost it all again before I found out Bracken was behind it all." Her words were not entirely condemning him, but she clearly wanted to paint the picture for him, and paint it she did. "It took another year after that to get enough on him to finally lock him away. And I almost didn't find the proof I needed to do that." before she looked over to Castle. "Castle was the one who stood by me the entire time, even when I least deserved it." She shared a small thankful smile with him.

"I couldn't give you Bracken's name, Kate. I knew your emotions were high, and you would be willing to damn everything just to get at him. It would take time to build a case, and I knew that if anyone could do that against Bracken, it was you." Roy smiled sadly as he studied them. "I know you feel like I failed and abandoned you, but I was never more proud than the moment I saw you finally cuff the son of a bitch on live television. I am so proud of you, Kate."

They _were_ left behind to pick up the pieces on their own. And though blame could be assigned to Roy Montgomery, with only time being able to grant them the ability to fully forgive what had transpired, Castle knew he was a good man. Truth was, without their Captain, neither he nor Beckett would be alive and ready to fight for justice once again.

"You didn't fail anyone, Roy." Castle uttered as he finally felt the anger subside. "You lied to us, and you let us believe you were dead all of this time, but your reasons are valid. It will take all of us time to readjust, and to move past this, but I'm willing to do it because you have been there for us before." He nodded at the man. "Everything that happened had to take place in order to end up where we all are now." He smiled down at Beckett who stood by his side. "And although we all could have lost everything, we did gain so much more."

The man smiled, this time more widely, knowing that one of the things they had attained had been each other.

"But now we're at another impasse." Kate chimed in, unwilling to fully let go of the feelings within her just yet. "And I have a feeling you know exactly who and what we are dealing with." She turned to look at her former Captain. "You can help us now, Roy."

He nodded before he sat in his chair. This time, his two companions accompanied him at the table.

"We can do this together." He began.

 **…**

 **Well? What did you guys think? Are we excited to see Roy is back in the picture? I really enjoyed his character in the show, and I really do miss him. So this twist is as much for me as it is for you guys. I hope you liked it. More to come so stick around.**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: I apologize for taking nearly a month to update the story. I went on vacation for my birthday, and when I returned I had tons of work to catch up on. I'm back though, and I hope to return to updating every week. I will get to all of the reviews soon. Thank you for your continued interest in this story. Enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes in this chapter, I had no time to have my friend V edit it.

* * *

Kate fought hard against the apprehension she felt.

Roy was no stranger, yet she felt extremely uneasy sitting across from him, in an abandoned barn, her hopes at solving this case hanging on every word he was about to speak.

She knew she could trust him, she probably should, but her heart refused to give in so readily.

It was a supporting hand on her thigh that pacified her struggle, allowing her to breathe easy and focus on the information her former boss was prepared to share.

"Again, I stress the importance of protecting my cover. I ask that Evelyn and my children…they are not to find out, especially if it is not coming from me directly." Beckett and Castle sat, somberly gazing at the man before them, realizing that he had not seen his family in years. He looked sadly at the pair, and waited for their acknowledgement before he proceeded to talk. "I don't know where exactly to begin."

"Is this case we're on related to you directly?" Beckett asked, the trepidation in her voice nearly vanished.

Roy nodded. "When you and Castle took Bracken down, we assumed we were finished. But a few months after he was locked away, word came out about a resurfaced drug ring in New York, more specifically Washington Heights." He did not fail to miss Kate's cringe. "We wouldn't have caught onto it, it was a small blip on the radar, until one of our informants confirmed that the baking and selling style all matched that of Vulcan Simmons." Kate nodded as she looked sideways at Castle.

"Lanie figured that out." She reaffirmed.

The man nodded proudly. His team, because they would always be his team, never disappointed. "Since we already had intel that Simmons was out of the picture, we decided to have our informant ask around. We came up empty handed time and time again. None of the dealers would speak names, and our informant was getting harassed and under suspicion of helping the feds. We pulled him a year later and decided to build a cover to infiltrate the circle. That only lasted a few months before the informant quit on us."

"Frank? Joe? Were they your men?" Castle asked curiously.

"Joe Mendez was my guy. We got his name from our first informant. I studied him extensively and followed him around before I approached him." Roy responded. "He was previously arrested for small narcotics infractions until he was pulled over by the NYPD during a routine stop. They found cocaine in his trunk, and that's when we stepped in."

"What did the FBI propose?" Beckett interjected.

"In exchange for clearing his name on the drug charges, and some monetary assistance, we asked that he be my permanent informant." He replied. "Joe was to gain access to the circle and get close to the boss. It was the only way we were going to get any names. So we set him up with his cover as Eric Parrilla." Roy nodded to himself.

"And the senior center?" Beckett asked.

"Joe started small. We placed him on the streets all over New York to gain access to several dealers. The main circle out of Washington Heights is an exclusive one, they only hire dealers that have reputations and are talked up by other circles. He was setting up connections with some pretty well known men when he heard a rumor about them hiring men out of a senior center in Hoboken." He paused to look at Castle and Beckett. "Joe asked the men for specifics, and it wasn't until he got close to one of the dealers that he got an address. That's when we decided to get him in."

"Were you aware that Joe used his given name at the senior center?" Beckett asked, intrigued by the new information.

Roy nodded. "He insisted we use his real name and his record to gain trust from the recruiter, if they should ever show interest. He felt his clean record as Eric Parrilla was not flashy enough, and changing it mid-way would look suspicious. I argued against it, especially because that would put his family at risk, but he insisted. He said he would always carry his cover identification in case anything happened, so it couldn't be traced back to his family."

"But it was." Castle shrugged.

"It was." Roy nodded. "You guys snooping around in his record was what alerted me that you were onto him." He shook his head.

"So how is Frank involved?" Beckett moved them along in the conversation. "He wasn't one of yours so what do we know about him? And why was he also carrying a cover identification?"

Roy leaned back in his chair. "Frank Cortez." He paused to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Initially he was our prime suspect. We thought he was a main guy, but it turns out he was only there to scope out potential recruits. He said as much after Joe showboated about his run ins with the law. It wasn't until another few weeks later that Frank told Joe he had gotten the okay from his boss to have him start dealing for Washington Heights. Months went by, and Joe started to make a reputation for himself around the neighborhoods. Eventually Frank had him talk to his boss, but never face to face. Until Joe got a call from Frank's boss telling him he wanted him to use the ruse of a vacation from work while he made personal runs for him. That was right before he got killed. We were close, he was so close." Roy shook his head disappointedly. "I have no idea why he was carrying a cover. Joe knew him as Frank and nothing else."

Castle and Beckett studied him, but said nothing as they waited for him to continue.

When a few moments of silence elapsed, Castle finally chimed in. "Who's John?"

Roy looked at Castle. "Joe was working on him. He could never get a last name out of him, and when the three of them went out to get drinks, the man would never talk business. He never got far with John." Roy dropped his gaze to the table top.

"We got information that John was close to Frank, but rumor was Joe and him weren't too chummy." Beckett continued. "Is it possible that Frank was trying to get John recruited and Joe was not happy with that?"

The man shook his head without looking up. "We're not sure. Joe mentioned the vacation was to a certain cabin that John owned, but Joe knew that was a ploy. Maybe Frank had finally gotten John in and he was suspicious of Joe."

"Do you think you or Joe got made?" Castle asked.

"We're not sure." Roy responded solemnly. "But no one has come knocking on my door so either they are waiting for the right moment, or they don't know who I am. I just know I have no informant and this drug circle is only getting richer and better at hiding themselves."

Castle huffed in frustration. "So we're back to square one." He looked to Beckett before moving his observation back to Roy. "What do you suggest we do now?"

Roy stood to pace. "Whatever we do, we have to do it quietly. Someone is on to you and the team." Roy remembered he had information regarding that.

"Who? How?" Beckett asked impatiently.

"When Joe was killed I started to go out to the usual spots where he would make contact with dealers, even the senior center, to keep gathering intel." He stopped moving to look at her. "I was outside of the center when Esposito and Ryan went in to ask questions. I parked there all night since it was the main point of contact for the recruiters. And since they were a man short, I figured they would come back to get some more men. That following morning, a man showed up at the center. He looked terribly familiar from far, but I can't place him. He didn't stay long at the center, but I saw him walk out with folders in his hands before he jumped into a black unmarked car. No plates."

Beckett and Castle looked at each other with concern.

"We received a warning note." Kate nodded as she looked back to Roy. "Came back clean. No prints."

Roy nodded. "We need to keep low."

"We're organizing a detail to tail us." Castle responded.

"Keep them at a distance. We want to keep safe, but if we keep the detail too close, whoever is behind this will watch what they do. We want them to make a mistake. But it's your call. Your case."

"Our case." Kate replied. "We're working with you now Roy."

Roy looked optimistically at his former detective. In the past few years she had matured into the best person she could have become. A great human being, and an outstanding investigator. "Thank you, Kate."

"So what's our next move?" Castle spoke after a few quiet minutes.

"We continue to dig. Let's go back to the senior center to get more on John."

Kate looked down at her clasped hands before she looked back up when she recalled something. "The man you saw that day at the senior center. It could be the man that collected the logs. He said he was a detective investigating Joe's and Frank's deaths."

Castle nodded as he remembered the details himself. "Alan Smith. Detective Alan Smith."

Roy sat and stared at his friends. "Let me take that one. I'll run that name on our end to see if we can come up with anything." The pair nodded in agreement. "We're going to get to the bottom of this." Roy responded as he tucked his badge back into his jacket pocket. "I promise."

 **…**

 **Who is this mysterious John? Who is Alan Smith really? Any guesses?**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

Notes: Thank you, V, for editing! You rock. Let's get this show on the road, then. Enjoy!

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Richard addressed Kate as he drove them back home, his car forgotten at Matt's with the events that had transpired.

His wife shook her head as she stared obstinately out her window, not willing to show him just how much the situation had affected her. "I'm ok." She insisted.

He contemplated delving further into her feelings, but quickly decided against it. "We should get Ryan and Espo caught up."

"We can't tell them about Roy." She deadpanned. Her eyes remained fixed to the darkened landscape outside.

Castle nodded soberly. "What do you have in mind?" He questioned.

A moment of silence surrounded them before Beckett tilted her head his way to look at him. "We'll have them work surveillance at the senior center and hope this John fellow shows up. You and I will go back to question Joe's and Frank's family, someone had to have known more about John." She responded.

He smiled hopefully at her. "Sounds like a plan." He moved his gaze to the road, and smiled when her fingers trace circles on his free hand over the gearshift.

* * *

Esposito and Ryan sat in their unmarked vehicle a few blocks from the senior center. Their eyes and binoculars trained on the entrance and surrounding areas while they each shook their heads.

"One of us should have stayed with Castle and Beckett." Ryan huffed as he lowered the binoculars from his face.

His partner nodded in agreement. "Yeah man, I don't like this. They have a hunch about this John guy, fine, but they are completely disregarding the threat they got in the mail." Esposito shook his head.

"I can't believe Gates denied our request to stick someone else on them." Ryan continued.

His friend rolled his eyes. "We're short-staffed." He shook his head one more time. "Holidays, man." He shrugged before he looked through his own set of binoculars.

Both men sat in silence for a few minutes as they kept a watchful eye.

"Javi we don't even know what this guy looks like. All we have is a description from a few people at the center. How are we supposed to find him?" Ryan asked with a hint of frustration in his voice, his eyes now trained on Esposito.

Javier kept his eyes on the front door. "We take as many photos as we can. Anyone looks suspicious, we snap away. Hopefully we'll get a hit with facial recognition." He replied. "We have to do this, bro. For Beckett."

* * *

Ryan nodded as he sat back in his seat. It was bound to be a long stakeout.

"Thank you so much for coming in, Mrs. Cortez." Beckett greeted the woman as she sat across from her. Castle glanced up at Beckett as he waited for her begin their second round of questions.

The woman nodded in response. "Anything I can do to help, Detective Beckett." Her eyes reddened. "I just want to know why Frank died, and who killed him."

Beckett allowed her to recover before she continued. "Mrs. Cortez, we have come across a name and some details that do not add up to us, we were hoping that you might have some answers for us." She began and waited for the woman to nod in agreement. "During our investigation we learned of a man named John that was becoming close to both your husband and Joe, but we cannot seem to locate him. Are you familiar with that name?"

The woman knitted her brows in thought before she shook her head. "Frank never mentioned anyone with that name." Her eyes danced in question between Beckett and Castle. "Is he responsible for Frank's death?" Her eyes reddened once more.

"He's a suspect." Castle nodded.

"But there's no way for us to question him since we do not have a last name or even a photo to go off of." Beckett stated apologetically. "Are you certain that Frank never mentioned him? Maybe even in passing?"

The woman shook her head.

"We were told that John, Frank, and Joe would go out for drinks together. Any idea where they might go?" Castle chimed in.

"Frank liked McMurphy's Tavern in Washington Heights. You can try there first." Mrs. Cortez responded.

Beckett and Castle looked at each other at the mention of Washington Heights.

* * *

Roy sat in his office with only one desk lamp to illuminate his work. His fingers pinched furiously at the bridge of his nose, the headache that had been festering finally affecting his concentration.

"What are you still doing here, Hank?" One of Roy's team members asked him from the door to his office.

"Working late, Steve. Heading out?" The older man asked as he lifted his gaze to his partner.

The man nodded. "I was. Anything I can help, with?" He offered with a small smile.

"Come on in, Steve. Shut the door, please." Roy ushered him in and stood to stare out of his window. "I'm looking for someone, but I have nothing in the database. Think you can point me in the right direction?"

"You have a name?" Steve took a pen and a small notebook out of his shirt blazer pocked.

"Detective Alan Smith." Roy responded.

Steve jotted the name down. "A detective, Hank? This should raise flags everywhere. Is the search coming back empty?"

Roy returned to his seat and sighed. "No. Not exactly. Turns out there are too many Alan Smiths, only a handful are actually detectives, none match the description I have for the man."

"I can help you find this guy. Give me the description, I will get my algorithm going, and voila." Steve smirked. His knowledge and expertise in all things surveillance was unmatched in the FBI, and Roy hoped he could help.

"Great." Roy nodded as he handed a paper with the description to Steve. "Go home, Steve. We can tackle this tomorrow."

"No way." Steve smirked again. "I was leaving because I was bored. You just handed me a challenge. I'll leave when I get you your guy." He excused himself as he walked out of Roy's office ready to work.

Roy shook his head, remembering the eagerness with which his team faced challenges back at the 12th. He missed it more than words could adequately express sometimes.

It was a few hours later, when the clock on Roy's wall struck one, that he finally stood from his chair to gather his things. His body and mind were near empty when Steve strode in with his own belongings. A piece of paper extended towards Roy. "No go on Detective Alan Smith." He smiled regretfully. "No Detective Alan Smith with your description works in or around New York, New Jersey, or Washington. The man you are looking for is using that as an alias, or it's a name he casually chose on the spot." He handed the paper to Roy who seemed utterly disappointed and somewhat deflated.

"Thank you for trying, Steve." The man took the paper from him and ran his eyes through the data anyway. "You have a few names highlighted, what do those have in common?"

"They are not detectives, but they do reside in the surrounding cities. One of them actually works a security detail for a company called…" He scratched his head in an attempt to remember the information. "Loksat." He snapped his fingers.

Roy furrowed his eyebrows at the paper while Steve walked out. "Thank you, Steve." He called out to his partner, who in turn waved nonchalantly to signal it was no problem.

 **…**

 **And this is where I have wanted my story to lead since day 1. Loksat! Finally made it! It's sure to be a ride from here guys. Thank you for sticking around. Keep readin', and I will keep writin'.**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

* * *

Beckett strode in before Castle, suddenly remembering why she hardly visited bars, especially on the wrong side of town. She could feel all eyes on her, leering from behind glasses filled with beer or harder alcohol.

Castle looked around, not fighting the instinct to walk faster and closer to his wife.

"What can I do for ya?" The woman behind the bar asked Beckett as she sat in a barstool.

"I'm Detective Beckett with the NYPD." Beckett replied as she showed the woman her badge and felt Castle sit beside her.

"Drunken fights outside of the bar are not our responsibility." The woman grinned, her hand deep in a cup as she dried it off.

Beckett smiled in an attempt to hide her annoyance. "Actually, we were hoping you could help us find someone. Do you know either of these two men?" She pulled out photographs of Frank and Joe and waited for her response.

The woman studied the photos before she nodded. "They came in here a lot. They hardly drank though. Usually they would sit in that corner booth and kept to themselves."

"Just the two of them?" Castle spoke next.

"Actually, the last few times I saw them in here, there was another man with them." She nodded. "He could drink."

"Great." Beckett looked hopeful at the sudden development. "Do you keep any surveillance videos in your archive?" She asked as she pointed to the camera behind the bartender.

"Yeah, sure. How far back? We only keep a few weeks' worth."

"Give us everything you have. We can go from there." The detective replied. "Would you happen to know any of their names?" She asked, but the woman shook her head.

"Sorry."

* * *

The men sat in their car once again with their attention on the senior center. A small headache bubbled to the surface and Esposito sighed for the tenth time that hour.

He was about to complain about the frosted windshield again when his phone rang.

"Yo, Castle." He smacked Ryan on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Espo you guys get anything?" Castle asked on the other end.

The detective shook his head. "Nope. Nothing. I don't think this guy's coming back, bro."

"Why don't you guys take a break." Beckett also sounded off on Castle's end of the conversation. "Meet us at the precinct-we have video footage to sit through."

"Anything but this, Beckett. We'll be there soon." Esposito smirked as he turned to his partner.

It was a couple of hours later when they all sat gathered around the conference table. Half-empty cartons of Chinese food littered the tabletop as they worked their way through the video footage.

It turns out the woman was right. The footage corroborated what the bartender had told them. Frank and Joe would meet there regularly to sit in a corner, an obvious blind spot for the camera, and would leave a couple of hours later. Barely three beers between them each time.

They had analyzed hours of video, but they had yet to find any sign of anyone else joining them. A fact that irked them all a little more with each passing minute on the screen.

"There!" Esposito jumped at Ryan to stop the feed. He walked towards the screen. "Kev, go back five seconds." His friend complied. "You see him for a second or two before he walked towards the blind spot." He pauses to point and follow the man. "There. You see?"

"That could be anyone, Javi." Ryan argued. "It's a bad angle, and all we get is a partial side profile…for a second." He shook his head while Beckett and Castle concentrated on the image.

Beckett leaned forward in an attempt to better her view of the man. "It's not clear enough." She huffed in frustration. "Let's flag the time, and keep looking." She concluded and her team agreed.

* * *

"We have a problem, Alan." Alan sighed as soon as he heard his boss utter the words. "Your little detective friend and her guy are still snooping around."

"I told you she would not stop. She is determined to find out what happened. It is the way she is wired." Alan argued as he stood opposite the man who sat in the shadows.

A sinister laugh echoed in the office. "Well we can't have that. _I_ will not have that, Alan." He smirked in the darkened space.

Alan cringed. He knew what was coming next, and though he had signed up for taking care of his employer, he never imagined he would have to kill _her_. "Give me some time to figure out another way to steer her away from the case."

His fist slammed angrily on his desk. "You tried that once. She ignored that warning, and instead she keeps searching for answers."

"I'll convince her." Alan retorted quickly.

"No." He stood and walked the few steps it took to get him face to face with his subordinate. "You will end her. Get with your friends overseas and get the tools necessary to put a stop to this." He continued in a warning tone. "Do it, or I will. And I won't stop with them." He glared at Alan before he patted the man's shoulder. "Now go."

He made no effort to wait for an answer or a rebuttal as he walked back to sit behind his desk. His eyes dark and cold as he glanced at the man walking out.

Alan wasted no time in calling his friends to organize what his boss had demanded.

"I need the stuff now." Alan growled into the receiver. "Have someone meet me at the usual location. This has to be done tonight or the boss will have all of our heads."

"We do not work for him, Alan." A man stated quickly and seriously. "He wouldn't dare come after any of us. That would mean he wants a war, and I seriously doubt that is what he wants to be known for." He paused to sigh. "I will have someone meet you at the location, but first, send me the money. This stuff is not cheap."

Alan rolled his eyes at the comment. "Yeah yeah, just have them meet me. I'll send you your money. Do you remember the password?"

"Of course I do. It is my account is it not?"

"Fine. Have someone there in an hour." Alan huffed as he disconnected the call. To say he was conflicted was an understatement, but he knew he had to do this. It was the only way to stay alive.

An hour later, Alan sat in his vehicle inside the usual meeting spot. His patience grew thin as he glanced at his watch another time. He was about to use his burner phone to call the man, but he soon saw the black SUV pull in behind him.

Carefully he exited his vehicle and stood tall beside it. "You're late." He hummed.

"Traffic." A man responded with a heavy accent before he nodded to his passengers.

The men exited the truck at once, each one holding a briefcase. Alan gulped as he witnessed the exchange between them. They were like soldiers as they moved in sync towards him.

"Did we do what was asked?" He questioned.

"As best as could be done." One of them replied. "No trace." The bulky man stopped in front of Alan and nodded for the rest of the men to place the briefcases on the floor. "You do know how to use, correct?"

"Yes." Alan responded.

"Good. Try not to hurt yourself." He grinned in mockery. "Assembly is required. All of the tool are in the cases. Dispose of the cases when you have completed your task."

"Got it."

The man grinned one last time before he signaled for the men to follow him back to the car. "See you soon, Alan."

Alan had no chance for small goodbyes as the car peeled out in reverse and out of the building.

* * *

"Thanks guys. We'll continue tomorrow. We could all use the rest." Beckett smiled to her group as they dispersed towards their cars.

Castle unlocked the door to her car and jumped in. "Are you hungry?" He turned to his wife as she buckled in.

"Not really." She shook her head and smiled at him. "Just tired. Let's go home."

Castle nodded at her. "You got it."

"Oh wait." Beckett patted her pant pockets and coat. "I left my phone on the desk. I'll be right back."

Castle nodded again as he sat back. He watched her walk towards the back entrance of the precinct when he figured he should start the car anyway. He moved forward and turned the key in the ignition. His eyebrows knitted together when he got nothing. No sound, no sign of life. "Oh come on, I just paid a guy a good chunk of change to super charge this bad boy." He talked to himself as he got out to open the hood.

The writer was no mechanic. Not by a long shot. So it made sense to him that when he looked under the hood, everything looked to be in its place. Every hose led somewhere, every wire connected to something. It was a small consolation, though, since he knew something had to be wrong in order for the car to fail at the turn of the key.

He explored around the front end of the car as if he had a clue. Mostly with hopes that he would shake something into place so he and his wife could get home. "Slight chance of that happening." He told himself.

A few seconds and no patience later, he gave up and slammed the hood shut. Shutting the doors to the car, he walked back towards the entrance of the building in search of Beckett and his usual chair beside her desk.

A deep sigh escaped him as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to dial a tow-truck, but before the call was even connected, a blast propelled his body forward.

His last thought before the darkness consumed him was of Beckett.

 **…**

 **I bet Kate jumps into protective mode and gets ready to kick some butt. Nobody hurts Castle and gets away with it. What do you guys think? Anybody have any ideas on who Alan is? There have been some really good guesses so far.**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: I apologize for the delay in updating. I was busy the last couple of weeks. Sorry for any mistakes (I uploaded this without any outside editing). Please do continue to enjoy! Thanks for all of those who are sticking around.

* * *

Beckett struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Not a second after she grabbed her phone and headed back towards the elevator did a blast rock the building. The lights inside flickered and her protective instincts kicked in.

Her feet could not keep up with her as she bypassed the elevator and ran for the stairs. She breathed rapidly as she attempted to avoid all of the scenarios playing out in her mind's eye.

"Get the paramedics now!" The detective heard someone yell out as she slammed the door open.

The smoke was thick even in the crisp open air and Kate could no longer avoid the fact that whatever had happened, Castle was in the middle of it all. A sudden wave of nausea turned her stomach as she coughed out the invading smoke.

"Castle!" Beckett tried her best to sound calm and assertive, but her voice faltered a bit. Her eyes watered when he did not respond. "Castle!" Her hands swatted at smoke as she ran towards her car.

"He's down, Detective Beckett." A young officer yelled back through the haze.

She had felt fear before, of course she had, but never like this. Never had it threatened to consume her entire soul in the blink of an eye.

Her eyes adjusted as she finally knelt down beside Castle's body and the officer. "Castle?" She whispered through unshed tears as she moved his hair back from his eyes.

"I didn't want to turn him, ma'am. He has some shrapnel wounds." The officer apologized.

Beckett shook her head at her. "Thank you." She wanted to address her by name, but did not have the heart to break her eyes away from her unconscious husband.

It seemed to her like hours had sped by before the medics arrived and dropped down to work on Castle.

Her head spun from everything that was happening at once. So many things needed to be dealt with. Like deciphering what had gone wrong. Or fighting the ache in her heart from being moved back to allow more medics to tend to her husband. Mostly she struggled to keep the tears at bay. It hurt to look at how pale Castle had become, and how still he was.

It was not like him. It was all wrong. How had everything gone so wrong?

* * *

Their friends sat gathered around her as they awaited news from the doctors. Each physically present, but their minds occupied with thoughts of their friend and the explosion.

Beckett sighed and leaned back in her chair when she saw Alexis' heel-clad feet in front of her. "Thank you, sweetie." She gratefully accepted a coffee the young woman offered her.

"He's going to be OK, right? He's always ok." Alexis finally asked in a light-hearted tone while she took the seat beside her.

Kate only nodded as she wrapped an arm around the redhead's shoulders.

Small talk echoed among them, and they were glad that it helped to ease their worries. Esposito stood with the intention of locating the coffee machine when the doctor strode in.

"Detective Beckett?" The woman in scrubs looked around the small room and Beckett stood with a nod. "Mr. Castle is going to be alright." Audible sighs of relief sounded in the space and Alexis stood to hug Kate. She remained by her side as the doctor continued to update them on his condition. "He suffered a severe concussion, he has a couple of bruised ribs, but that is the worst of his injuries. He was very lucky that the shrapnel only caused shallow lacerations." The woman shared a small smile with Beckett. "We will keep him overnight for observation, but if no complications arise he can go home tomorrow evening."

The group smiled at the news, relieved that their friend would be alright. They all sat around when Esposito's phone vibrated and he stepped outside to take the call.

"Thank you, doctor." Beckett smiled. "I'd like to stay with him."

With a small nod, the doctor agreed to her request.

The woman walked out and the group stood to share hugs before discussion was held about who would take who home. Alexis was on the verge of arguing that she would stay when Esposito walked back into the waiting room with his phone in hand.

Nobody in the room missed the flicker of anger in his eyes. Beckett was the first to call him out on it. "What's up, Espo?"

Javier cleared his throat as he moved to place his phone in his pant pocket. "CSU found devices wired to your car. What happened to Castle was no accident. Someone was deliberately trying to hurt both of you."

Kate fought against the anger and instead looked at her friends with determined eyes. Calmly she took a breath and nodded satisfied with her plan, eager to share it with her team. Because she was Detective Kate Beckett, and she was damned if she was going to let the bastards get away with any of it. "Espo, Ryan, work with Lanie to get everything you can on the explosives used. I want chemical signatures, etchings, manufacturers, anything. Call me as soon as you have something." She paused to see their equally resolute looks before they left the room. "Martha, Alexis, go home and rest. When the guys and Lanie come back with information, I will need your help to take care of Castle. You'll need your energy for that." She smiled at them. "I will stay with him tonight and make sure he's OK." Her family nodded and hugged her before they caught up to Lanie and the guys.

"Captain…" Beckett suddenly felt guilty for taking over when she realized her Captain was staring wide-eyed at her. She released a small sigh when the older woman raised her hand and shook her head.

"You do what you have to do, Detective." Gates shared a small smile with her. "Just keep me informed of the situation and try not to get into too much trouble, please." They shared low laughs before the woman turned serious. "Use your team, Beckett. Do not go at this alone. We are all in this together. If something was to happen to you, your husband might never leave me alone again, so please stay safe." She winked before exiting the room herself.

Kate sat motionless in the chair beside her husband's hospital bed. Her eyes fixed on the rhythm of his heart as it moved across the monitor screen. Though his injuries had not been serious, he had yet to wake up.

She allowed her mind to drift with the sounds of the machines as she vowed to find the people responsible for this. The detective wanted to rest next to Castle, but her fingers itched to continue working the case. Fighting it no longer, she quietly pulled out her burner phone and texted the number she had forced herself to memorize. _We were attacked. I need whatever you have so far. Can we meet?-K_ .Beckett reread the text a couple of times before she sighed and finally sent the message out.

It took less time than she expected to receive the alert tone that sounded from her phone. _Anything I can do, Kate. Follow the pin on the map. See you tomorrow. –R_

Unconsciously she held her breath and released it after having read the text. If she could get past their situation with her former boss, she knew they could work efficiently together. She only needed to really accept it and move forward. It quickly dawned on her that she would have to do it without Castle. At least until he recovered enough to help her through it.

Beckett sighed and leaned back in the chair as her lids became heavy with sleep.

Tomorrow would be a busy day.

 **...**

 **I was hesitant about adding this note, but I felt the intense need to share my feelings with you all, because if not with you my peers, then with who? I am extremely devastated, as I feel some if not most of you are, that ABC has decided to let go of our heroine Stana Katic. It saddens me, it angers me, and it breaks my heart. She has poured so much love into the role of Kate Beckett, and I believe in my heart she deserved better than this. Rumors are circling around about possible scenarios for Beckett's exit, and I have no clue what they will choose, but honestly, at this point, I feel NOTHING will be good enough. That being said, I have taken it upon myself to alter the ending (which I had outlined since the beginning) to this story to give us all the Caskett/Beckett-worthy ending WE ALL DESERVE. So please stick around, share your thoughts with me, vent if you must, criticize if you will, and I will be more than happy to listen and consider. Thank you all for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. V, I appreciate your help and your support! Hope you guys are still with me. Enjoy.

* * *

Hospital rooms had a way of drowning out all light some times.

It was precisely that which allowed Beckett to sleep well into the early morning hours. There was no hint of sunlight despite the large window beside Castle's bed. If it had not been for the rustling of hospital bed sheets she might have slept a while longer, away from the reality of everything that was happening, and in a dreamland where she and Castle exchanged holiday gifts in front of their Christmas tree.

"Kate?" Rick's voice was rougher than he anticipated when he felt the dryness in his throat.

Beckett jumped immediately to attention and moved to offer him the cup of water that sat on the side table. "Hi, babe." She smiled down at him as she rubbed a soothing hand on his shoulder.

Her husband returned the smile, although his dripped with the haziness of the medication. "What happened?" He croaked.

"How much do you remember?" Beckett asked to gauge the damage.

His eyes scanned her face before he shook his head. "The engine wouldn't start. Then everything went black." He shrugged.

With a gentle nod, she sat at the edge of his bed. Mindful of his IV line she grasped his hand in both of hers to feel his warmth. "Lanie and the guys are working on figuring out what happened, but someone rigged my car to explode in the parking lot. Somehow you triggered it and that's how we ended up here." She smiled at his look of disbelief. "You took it like a champ." She winked before she dropped the smile and replaced it with a serious gaze. "I thought I had lost you, Castle. I was so scared."

He understood why her voice shook and her eyes reddened. Rick had been in her shoes before, afraid that he had lost her. Empathetically he shook his head slowly and turned his hand in hers to squeeze. "You will never lose me. I will always fight to stay where you are, Kate. Always." He smiled tenderly at his wife.

No longer able to fight against the urge, Beckett leaned forward to kiss him. They broke apart shortly after to rest their foreheads together.

With her eyes closed, the detective sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Rick responded with another squeeze of her hand.

They shared a few minutes of silence, their fingers laced, and their eyes closed before Kate pulled back. "Listen, I need to meet with Roy. We need any information he might have been able to gather so far, especially now that this happened." Rick knitted his brows disapprovingly at her.  
Kate shook her head in return. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Can't it wait until I'm released?" He rebutted and frowned when his wife shook her head again.

"No. We need to get to the bottom of this, Rick." She paused to pick her phone out of her pocket. "Martha and Alexis will switch shifts with me, and hopefully I will be back in time for your release."

Castle sighed.

"Kate I don't like this." He grabbed her hand in an attempt to coax her into waiting for him.

Beckett allowed a small smile to break out on her face. "Won't work this time, babe. I am going. I will be back safe, I promise."

* * *

"Loksat?" Kate furrowed her brows in concentration as she read over the paper in her hands. "So he's not a detective?" She looked up at Roy who stood by a frosted window in the forgotten and rundown mall building.

"No. Alan Smith is not a detective. He works security detail for this company called…Loksat."  
The man shook his head and finally turned to look at his former detective. "We're still trying to run background checks on this man, but a few of the names on the list have no identification photos. He is doing a pretty good job of staying out of the light." He finished.

Beckett nodded, but glared at the paper with purpose. "But eventually he will make a mistake, and I will be there when he does." Roy grinned at her with a sense of pride. "Now what else do we have on Mr. Alan Smith?"

Roy walked to the nearest sitting situation, an empty concrete tree pot, and leaned on the rim before he looked back at Kate. "My team was able to narrow down vicinities for each of the names listed, but I would start with the faceless ones first. Nothing is more suspicious than not having a photo on file." Beckett nodded in agreement.

The young woman finally tore her eyes from the paper, awkwardly moving her gaze to her former boss. Unsure of what to say, she nodded again. She wished she could just turn back time to pick up from where they left off, but so much had happened since his 'death'. So many events that could have happened, so many that might have never happened, and she had no idea how to move past that. Not yet. "Thank you, Roy." She paused to clear her throat. "We appreciate the help."

Roy shared a sad smile with her, sensing her emotional struggle before he nodded. "How's Rick?"

Beckett moved to look around the abandoned area for the first time. She forced her eyes to stay focused on the rundown walls, and stripped paint, anywhere that was more comfortable than his stare. "We got lucky." Was all she said.

The man sighed before he stood tall. "Well, I won't keep you from him. Give him my best." He knew she was battling with many feelings, and feared holding small conversations would only heighten her discomfort. As a result, he said goodbye first.

Kate bowed her head desolately as she heard his footsteps diminish in the empty space.

* * *

Kate had made it back to the hospital in time to see Castle back home.

His hand lay warmly on her leg as he slept in the passenger seat. She had moved her eyes off the road a few times and onto the ring that rested on his finger, thankful that his injuries were all very minor. If anything happened to him, she was sure she would never forgive herself.

After some playful banter about dinner, they had agreed on Chinese take-out, which they now ate in the comfort of their home. The fireplace crackled and popped as they each twirled chopsticks into the other's box of food.

"So, what did we Roy say?" Castle asked nonchalantly hoping Beckett was ready to share.

She in turn smiled at him, knowing his game plan, but decided to play along anyway. "We have some information on a few Alan Smiths in the area. None are detectives. A few are ghosts. And one works security detail." Her smile returned as she moved some noodles to her mouth.

"So when do we start looking into them?" He continued despite the fact that he realized he was pushing his luck.

His wife shook her head before she took a sip of her drink. "We don't do anything. You get better. I will look into them tomorrow." She ignored his pouting face. "I can't have you half-injured running around playing detective, Castle. Once are fully healed, I promise you can help." Castle did not like her proposal, but he nodded anyway.

They continued to eat and talk when Beckett's phone rang. Without hesitation she answered, knowing only her team would call her so late, and placed the call on speaker. "What's up Espo?"

"Yo, Beckett. We've got something." He went right into the conversation, not allowing time to be wasted on hello's. "One of the pieces of shrapnel gathered at the scene show evidence of tampering. Looks like whoever sold, or even assembled the device ground off the markings on the metal."

"That's not good news, Javi." Castle deadpanned.

Both Kate and Rick could feel Esposito's eye-roll. "Yeah, Sherlock." He retorted. "Except that they didn't grind off enough to stop Lanie from getting the lab to pull the markings for us. The manufacturer is overseas. Russia to be exact."

The partners looked at each other with knitted brows. The wheels churned in their heads. "Russia? Can we get into the manufacturer's system or logs to see who purchased the device?" Rick asked.

"We could inadvertently start a war, Castle." Ryan was heard in the background. "We don't want to meddle with that."

"Then I still fail to see what we found, guys. This information is only as good as what it does for us." Castle commented with frustration. Kate did not fail to miss the fact that his usual playful demeanor was gone at the moment.

"What else do we have?" Beckett asked, moving the information about the manufacturer to the backburner...for now.

"Still looking into facial recognition for this guy John." Ryan responded. "No hits yet, but it's only a matter of time."

"Great you guys keep on that. I'm staying with Castle for the next couple of days. Do you guys think you can handle yourselves?" Kate asked her team, ignoring Castle's wary glare.

"We got this." Esposito responded. "We'll call you when we get any hits."

"Thanks guys." Beckett finished before she disconnected the call.

Castle never tore his eyes from his wife as she placed the phone on the table and continued to eat casually. "Kate - what are you doing?" He asked in a vexed tone.

"Eating." She smiled dismissively.

He shook his head. "Going at this alone, again, is not the answer. Please don't shut me or the guys out. We want to help."

Annoyingly she dropped the chopsticks on the table and looked him square in the eyes. "I'm not shutting anyone out. This is not me going down the rabbit hole either." She paused as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You could have been killed. I'm sorry if I don't want you anywhere near the case. At least while you recover."

Rick moved to take one of her hands in his. "What about the guys? You know they have your back." He asked. "Let them go with you to track this guy Alan down."

Kate shook her head as she looked down at their joined hands. "I can't tell them. They'll ask questions as to how I got the information. I can't lie to them about Roy. I much rather not have to go there with them." She responded.

"Then wait for me." He shrugged. "I know you can take care of yourself, and I probably get in the way half the time, but it would make me feel better if I went with you as your back up." He flashed her his grin.

Beckett contemplated her choices for a while as she rubbed small circles on his hand with her thumb. She wanted to get this done immediately, but she also knew going alone would only get her into trouble. She had vowed never to go alone ever since that fateful day she hung from the roof of that building. On the brink of death, with her last thoughts focused on the man she loved more than anything.

So, she decided to agree with Castle's plan. "Fine." She rolled her eyes playfully. "As soon as you're better we'll go after this lead." She continued. "In the meantime, I have an idea on how to get information about the Russian manufacturer."

"Roy?" He questioned with a curious look.

She nodded. "Roy."

 **...**

 **I felt much more inspired writing this chapter. I am going to do this for Beckett! She deserves it.**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: Sorry for any mistakes. I appreciate all of you who are still with me on this one. You guys are great. Enjoy!

* * *

Kate and Roy had decided not to meet this time around, instead choosing to communicate through the burner phones they each had.

The detective sat in the chair behind her husband's desk while he sat in the loveseat across from her. Every now and then, he nursed his ribs and cringed in pain, exactly why Beckett had suggested he sit in the seat rather than his office chair. They both listened in on what Montgomery was saying.

"If I go about this through Federal channels, the Russians are sure to pick up on my scent. I will have to do this on my own, without anybody else's knowledge. Not even my partner can know about this. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this? We don't know where this could lead." He warned them, but neither budged as they nodded silently to each other.

"Do it, Roy." Castle chimed in. "Care to work with a friend of mine? He can give you the cover you might need." Beckett did not miss the twinkle in his eye. He loved pulling the 'I know someone' card- every time.

Roy remained silent for a few minutes, debating whether he wanted to accept outside help or not. After careful consideration, he decided it was best not to include more people than those already involved. "I appreciate the offer, Castle, but I would rather do this on my own." He paused. "Besides, I have become quite tech savvy since I joined the FBI." His tone carried a hint of light-heartedness, but he was not kidding.

Castle nodded. "Alright, then."

"Kate I will ping you when I find something."

The woman nodded at the phone. "Thank you, Roy."

The pair disconnected the call and glanced at each other. No words came as they waited for the other to speak.

Rick finally broke the silence. "Now what?" He asked as he stood slowly and made his way to his wife's side.

She let out a small smiled when she felt the chair turn towards him. "Now we wait." She looked up at him. "The hardest part of all of it is the waiting."

"There is so much we can do while we wait, Beckett." He grinned like an eager teenager, and she did not fight the feeling she felt inside her at the sight of his smile.

"I bet there is." Beckett rose from the seat and came face to face with Castle. "But you are still recovering. I wouldn't want to make your situation worse." She grinned and almost laughed when she saw him frown.

Slowly they moved into each other. It never failed to amaze both of them how drawn they were to one another. Like two magnets that had no option but to meet in the middle. That was them. Every time.

"We can make out like teenagers, then." Castle spoke against Kate's lips with a smile.

* * *

It had been days since any new information had come in, and each person involved found it more difficult to stay positive in the process. In truth, they each feared their leads would go cold, and the people responsible for the murders and threats would go free. They were a team that did not take that lightly.

Roy felt the frustration build up inside each day he failed to gain access to overseas accounts. He assumed the journey would be a breeze when after a couple of days, he hacked into the suspected Russian manufacturing plant's main website. It has been a struggle at first, but eventually he managed to get inside transaction records and logs.

The disappointment set in when he realized the account numbers and owners were protected with a more robust security system. He had been looking at the same asterisks, the same error codes, and the same maddening 'access denied' (he was extremely grateful for the web's translating features) messages for the past twenty-two hours. If something did not change soon, he would lose his mind.

His eyes roamed the screen as he waited for his latest command to provide him with a glimmer of hope.

'доступ разрешен'. The man slammed his palms victoriously on the desk. Translating features were not necessary to know what the green-lit message symbolized.

With that hurdle finally jumped, Roy smiled as he scrolled through the logs of data. His fingers moved the scroll wheel on his mouse furiously as he looked for the numbers that correlated to the markings on the shrapnel.

Multi-tasking at an amazing rate of speed, he reached for his burner phone and redialed the last number he had called.

"Kate, we have something to go off of." He spoke hurriedly into the phone, but kept his eyes trained on the screen before him.

"What is it?" The detective spoke on the other end before she summoned her husband from his current sitting position on the leather sofa. "What do we have?"

Roy clicked away as he highlighted areas of significance. "The account number used for the transaction," He began. "It belongs to someone named Andrew Adams. I can dig into the name and trace him. I'm about to transfer the data to my secure database."

Beckett sat silent while the wheels churned in her head. Something about the name was so familiar to her, as if she had heard it before, more than that- as if she knew it.

"An American dealing overseas for the manufacturing of explosives," Castle spoke aloud. "That I did not see coming. This took a turn from drug crime to international arms dealing." He shook his head. "What the hell does this have to do with Vulcan Simmons? He wasn't an arms dealer." He looked attentively at his silent wife. "Beckett?"

"Roy," Kate shook herself out of her thoughts. "How long before we can get information on the owner of the account or the account itself?" She cleared her throat.

"Not long." He admitted. "My database will run simultaneous crosses with the name and account number. If one gets us nowhere, the other will. I'm logging into the bank database right now." He typed, clicked, and perused through more lines of code before he finally achieved a blinking message. He announced his success with an 'aha' before he continued. "I'm in. The account was opened in Russia in 2012, and Andrew Adams is the owner, but he definitely wasn't living anywhere in the United States at the time. His address is listed in a small town in Moscow."

Castle kept his eyes trained on Beckett as she knitted her brows. Her small head shake was all he needed to understand she was linking something with the information Roy had just given them.

"What is it?" He finally asked her with curious eyes.

"Roy, is there a photo attached to the account?" Kate questioned.

They heard more clicking as he rummaged through the details of the account. "Actually there is, but the man in the picture looks nothing like an Andrew Adams." He scoffed. "Another man using another alias. Let me see what I can get from this photo."

"Don't bother, Roy." Kate interrupted him and Castle quickly studied her in an attempt to gauge her state of mind.

"Kate?" Both Roy and Castle voiced in unison.

"Thank you for the help, Roy. This is all useful information. We will call you soon, I have something I need to do." She continued before she ended the call.

Her eyes remained on the black screen of her phone, although she could feel her husband stare at her from his seat. Surely he was curious as to what had happened, and though she wanted nothing more than to explain, she felt she might lose her train of thought if she did not act fast.

After releasing a small breath, she dialed a number and placed the call on speaker.

"Yo, Beckett." Esposito answered.

"Espo, is Ryan with you?" Beckett began.

"Yeah, I'm here Beckett. What's up?" The other detective replied.

Kate turned to look at Castle before she began, hoping he would catch on to where she was headed with the conversation. "You guys remember when Castle and I snuck away to the Hamptons and you two were trying to figure out who I went with?"

The men responded curiously together that they recalled the occasion. Castle grinned. He remembered the weekend very well. It felt like it was yesterday.

"You guys kept throwing names out there and then saying why they weren't the logical answer. Do you remember them all?"

The men proceeded to recount the men and their whereabouts, both surprised they could remember the information from several years ago. Audible high fives were heard through the speaker. Castle locked eyes with Beckett when the guys mentioned one name in particular and where he was at the time. Suddenly more puzzle pieces fell into place.

"So what does this have to do with anything, Beckett?" Esposito finally asked.

"I'm not positive there is a connection, but I need you guys to do some research for me. When I was dating him, he often used the same alias when he was undercover. He claimed it was an ode to his two favorite historical figures."

"Alright. Which guy we talking about?" Ryan asked.

Beckett sighed sadly and looked at her husband with reddened eyes. "Will Sorenson. Get me information on Will Sorenson."

The duo ended the call after ensuring their friend they would get everything they could on her ex-boyfriend.

The room went silent and Castle reached for her hand. "Kate we don't know if the name is a coincidence." He tried to reassure her.

She shook her head slowly. "It could be, but that was his name, Rick. And he was in Europe at the time the account was opened."

A heavy exhale escaped her once again before Rick carefully pulled her into his body for an embrace.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, Kate. I promise."

 **…**

 **Well, this might be the last chapter I post while Castle is still on the air. The next one will likely be after the Series Finale. Bittersweet time for us all. I love Castle, I love Caskett, and I am forever grateful to have made the connections I have with all of you. We are a good bunch. All drama aside, this fandom is one of the most passionate and loyal around. Kudos. Cheers to our show and our favorite couple! See you guys next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: I have recovered enough (from the finale) to continue working on this story. I have had so much fun with it, I hope you guys are all still with me. Thanks V for the help!

* * *

The air was colder outside than it had been in the past few weeks. Snowstorms headed towards the city, threatening to stall life outside of warm homes. Streets were to be closed. Traffic was to be halted. Everyone was asked to remain indoors until the freeze thawed out.

Although both Beckett and Castle had agreed they would stay put indoors like most of the citizens of the city, their patience began to run thin a few days in.

"Are you sure you want to go out there, Beckett?" Castle eyed her as he stuffed his scarf into the chest of his buttoned up coat.

Kate simply nodded as she fixed the material of her leather gloves. "Ryan and Espo gave us a lead and the address for Will didn't pan out. I can't just sit and wait for more evidence or lack thereof, we still have the information on Alan Smith that Montgomery gave us and I want to follow up on that."

Castle nodded. "I'm game. We can always cuddle for body heat. We're pretty good at that." He winked as they closed the loft door behind them.

* * *

Ryan typed away on his computer as Esposito dialed number after number in an attempt to gather more information on their friend's ex-boyfriend. They each let out discouraged sighs as they came up empty once again.

"I don't get it man." Ryan started. "Will was in the FBI, how could he just disappear? He's not dead so what is going on?" He slammed his hand down on his notepad.

Esposito swiveled in his chair to face his partner. "We lose all trace of him shortly after Europe." Esposito stood to write on their whiteboard and Ryan nodded as he faced him in his chair ready to assist. "We know he was there, your buddy told us so a few years ago, and we found plane transactions to and from Europe." He wrote notes and continued to think aloud. "Something happened shortly after to make him disappear. We need to find out what happened, and who made him disappear, Kev." He capped the marker and turned around to face his friend with a determined look.

"We don't have clearance for FBI reports. That's where we need to look." Ryan responded.

"We don't, but your buddy does." There was a spark in Esposito's eye that Ryan did not miss. "Call him, Kev." He insisted.

Ryan sat in place as he looked back at his partner, unsure about whether they should go that route or not. "Alright." He nodded and immediately reached for his phone.

* * *

Beckett poised herself when she knocked on the door. A million things circled in her mind. If their suspect Alan Smith lived behind the wooden door, she would have to remember the description that the woman at the senior center had given them. If that failed her, she had to come up with an alternate method of identification. Her primary objective was to make the man feel comfortable; she could not afford to spook one of their main suspects.

Castle stood beside her with a sideways glance at the hallway. He was her only backup there, so he remained vigilant of their surroundings.

After a couple of knocks, the door cracked open to reveal an older man wrapped in a robe, his hair messy from what she assumed was his nap. "Yes?"

"Sir, I'm Detective Beckett with the NYPD, I'm looking for Alan Smith. Does he live here?" She moved her badge closer for him to see.

The older man shook his head. "No. No Alan Smith lives here." He replied.

"Sir, how long have you been at this apartment?" Castle asked from beside the detective.

"About a year." He responded before he yawned. "Is there anything else? I'd like to get back to sleeping." He glared at the pair.

The duo looked at each other before Beckett turned towards the door. "Thank you for your help, sir. Have a good day."

They walked somberly back into the bone-chilling breeze and towards their car. "That's two down, Kate." Castle mouthed as he opened his door. "We're running out of names without photos." He stated the frustrating truth as they drove off towards the next name.

Kate sat still as she drove them to their destination, the empty streets allowed for fast fleeting buildings outside their windows. Castle broke the silence a few minutes later.

"Kate, when this is all over I think we should take a long vacation somewhere. Maybe travel the world for a while." He commented as he looked at the snow that began to pile up on the sidewalks.

A small smile slipped onto the woman's face before she replied. "Sounds like a great idea, babe." They both turned to smile at each other before Beckett's phone rang.

Castle hurriedly accepted the call before he moved the phone up between them. "We need some good news, Sito." He joked, but meant it full-heartedly.

"We have news, but I don't know if you'll feel any better. Kevin's buddy at the FBI was able to dig up some information on the DL." The man's voice echoed in the car as Beckett waited anxiously for him to continue. "Will went AWOL, Beckett." Castle and Beckett shared looks of disbelief.

"When?" Kate shook herself enough to ask her friend.

"Right after Europe." Ryan responded. "He was out there on orders of the FBI, unofficially of course. He was out there to work with Russian counterparts to stop an arms trafficking group. A few days in to the assignment, headquarters in Washington lost communication with him. It was as if he dropped off the face of the planet. No phone, no identification at the airports, no card transactions, nothing."

"At first Washington thought he might have been made, but when they discovered someone used his ticket to board the plane back to the States, they knew it was a con. He sent someone else to have the FBI chase around the wrong man while he escaped under an assumed name." Esposito continued.

"So he is connected to all of this." Beckett whispered disconsolately.

"Sorry, Beckett." Ryan attempted to console her.

"Is that all we have?" Rick jumped in after sharing a tender look with his wife.

"The FBI has yet to find him. However he made himself disappear, it's pretty sophisticated." Esposito responded with a hint of defeat.

"How do we know that someone at the FBI isn't helping him with that?" Kate questioned, her temper on the rise from the frustrating twist they were just dealt.

Castle nodded, understanding her concern.

"We don't." Kevin deadpanned. "We just have to keep digging."

Kate's eyes locked onto her husband's, the frustration threatening to surface in the form of angry tears.

"Thanks guys." Rick cut the call in a hurry before he leaned over to cup her face with his hand.

"You are the best at this." The words left his lips with a certainty that no one would dare question. "I'm good at this. We will finish this." He smiled gently at her before he waited for her acknowledgement. When he saw her nod with determination, he sighed inwardly and moved in to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Now, want to go check out this next place?" He pointed at the apartment building with a tilt of his head. His grin pulled a similar one from Beckett's own lips.

They shook off the chill once they walked in to the building and towards the designated door.

Kate sighed as she turned to look at Castle when they heard no sign of life from behind the closed door. "There's a blizzard outside, why are people not home?" She shook her head.

Rick simply smiled. "Maybe they are all cops, out looking for a murder suspect." He shrugged before he looked around the hallway and knitted his brows.

"Let's go." The detective gave in before she readjusted her leather gloves. Her eyes moved to see what Castle was looking at when he held up a finger signaling for her to hold on. "What is it?"

He pointed towards the door across the hall, a small welcome sign hung from the front, and a mat adorned with flowers sat proudly before the entrance. "Gut feeling." He moved the few steps it took to get him close enough to knock assertively.

A woman was quick to answer the door before she glared at Castle. "What are you knocking on doors for? Are you a salesman?" The woman questioned him, revealing she had indeed been eavesdropping.

Castle smiled before he shook his head. "This is Detective Beckett with the NYPD. I'm her partner." He flashed her his famous playboy smile. "Unless you would like to buy a badge." He joked as he pointed to Beckett's as she held it up to the woman.

"What can I help you with?" The woman stood taller, clearly having been appeased, and eager to assist with her civic duties.

"We're looking for Alan Smith." Kate moved beside Castle. "Does he live in the apartment behind us?"

The woman nodded. "Yes he does. He is not in any trouble is he? He is such a nice young man. Quiet, but very nice." She looked at the couple.

"Do you know where he might be at this time?" Castle continued.

"No." She shook her head. "He's out a lot. Leaves early, comes in late. I assume he's at work?" She asked rather than stated.

"Do you know where he works?" Beckett probed.

The woman scrunched her nose before she shook her head. "No. He dresses like a street cop. Leather jacket, jeans, sunglasses, the whole enchilada." She smiled. "He's quite handsome you know."

"That's great, ma'am." Castle rolled his eyes at the comment. "Can you tell us how long he's been living here?"

"I would guess about a year maybe less." She placed her index finger on her chin in thought. "Yes, a year."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other before they thanked the woman for her cooperation. They were on their way out when the woman called out from across the hall. "Would you like for me to relay a message? Perhaps he should contact one of you?" Her eyes squinted at them as she waited for a response.

"No ma'am. We will be back, but we appreciate it. Thank you." Beckett nodded politely before they headed out.

* * *

The man groaned as he fished inside his jean pockets for his keys. He was exhausted- the events of the last few days blended and left him with the desire to sleep for days.

A sense of satisfaction filled him at the sound of the key turning the locks to his haven.

The moment was short-lived however, as he heard a door open behind him. "Hello Ingrid, how are you this fine evening?" He forced a tired smile as he turned around to face her. His hand dropping reluctantly from the keys still stuck in the knob.

"Oh this cold weather is perfect for black and white movies and hot chocolate, my boy." She smiled. "You should try to stay indoors tomorrow, I hear the freeze is about to be worse tomorrow."

Alan nodded with a small smile. "I plan on it, Ingrid. Thank you. Have a good night." He made to open the door before the woman's voice stopped him again.

"Before you go, I wanted to let you know that a pair of detectives were here this afternoon. They were asking to see you."

His heart rate jumped, but his exterior remained composed. "Detectives? Did they say why, Ingrid?" He asked in a calm tone.

The woman shook her head. "The woman said they would return. A…Detective Beckett." She nodded.

A heavy sigh escaped the man as his eyes closed and his head dropped. "Thank you, Ingrid. I will be waiting for them."

"Stay out of trouble, Alan. Good night son." Ingrid smiled before she retreated into her apartment and closed the door.

Opening the door with less enthusiasm, Alan threw his keys across the room before he used his cellphone to dial one of his men. "I need you to follow Detective Beckett from tonight on. You do not lose her, you do not leave her, stay on her like a hawk. Do not make a move until I say so, though." He paused to collect himself. "The boss does not find out until I am certain we have this under control once and for all." He waited only for the accepted orders before he threw his phone on the table. "Damn it, Beckett." He muttered under his breath.

 **…**

 **Looks like Alan Smith is on to our team as much as they are on to him. What will happen next? I have a feeling it will not be pretty for someone. How is everyone doing? Have we recovered from the finale? All in all, I think we got the happy ending we all fought for. I will stick to the good things about it. Anyway, thank you all for your continued support. I promise to keep writing in the name of our favorite show.**


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: So much is going on with life after Castle that it is getting hard to keep track of everything. I will get back to your reviews ASAP. Thank you for sticking around, guys. Thank you V, my faithful reader and editor, you are the best. Enjoy.

* * *

It did not take long for Kate to consider calling Roy, again.

She had yet to fully forgive him, but every day that went by allowed her more time to come to terms with everything he had been a part of.

Perhaps someday soon she could move past everything and truly forgive him. She thought this as she sat at the wooden table where they had first reconnected with the man. "Roy, how much do you remember about Will Sorenson?" She questioned.

The man was silent for a second before he looked up at her. "Your ex-boyfriend Sorenson?" His tone carried a hint of amusement. "Just that he was in the FBI. I heard he went AWOL a few years back, haven't heard anything since." He answered.

"So you knew he was missing?" She inquired her gaze both hopeful and disappointed at the same time.

"Everyone in the FBI knows. He's on the list, Kate. I have no other information on his case if that is what you want to know." He attempted to ease her concerns about his involvement.

"Can you help us find him? Ryan and Esposito are trying to track him, but they cannot seem to get anywhere. Records are sealed, and even with inside help they keep coming up with nothing." Kate continued.

"Let me see what I can do." He responded before he stood from his chair to walk around to Kate's side. "Kate, I wanted to apologize-"

His words were cut short when Beckett chimed in. "No, please, not now." Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears before she looked around the barn to avoid his stare. "I want to- I think we should talk, but not right now. Not when there is so much going on. It deserves our complete attention." She nodded before returning her gaze to the man before her.

Montgomery nodded before he sighed.

* * *

Castle, Ryan, and Esposito sat around the bullpen with their faces deep in Esposito's monitor.

The night had quickly approached and most people had cleared out of the building, leaving the trio with freedom to break out of the case for a moment of levity.

Laughter echoed as they replayed the video on the screen for the fourth time.

Esposito slapped his hands on his desk as he laughed yet again.

"Working hard, I see." Beckett walked in tall and resumed to sit quietly at her desk. Her eyes never meeting the men as she worked her computer.

Each man cleared his throat and straightened himself before they looked at their friend apologetically.

"We were just- it was for research." Esposito lied before he returned to his work anxiously.

Ryan did not even bother to formulate an excuse as he rolled his chair, as quietly as he could, back to his desk.

"Hey, sweetie. Um, is there anything you need help with?" Castle flashed her a grin before he sat in his chair.

Beckett simply shook her head and smiled as she typed. "Nope. All good, Castle. Thanks."

Castle knitted his brows in a frown and sank further into the chair. "I love you." He voiced as sweetly as he could, but his wife shook her head, finally lifting her eyes to meet his stare.

"Thank you." She teased. "What did we find out guys? Anything on that photo of the man from the bar?" She ignored her husband's pout and craned her neck to look over at her team.

Nobody missed the way Kevin fumbled nervously around his desk before he made his way to the murder board. He added a photo to an empty space before he turned to face his friend. "His name is not John." He concluded. The team gathered around him with curious looks. "His name is Scott Hale." He continued before he flipped through the file in his hand. "He's the CEO of an up and coming security company called Loksat. He has no record. Not one traffic ticket. We have an address for his workplace, but the home address is blank. Could be he moved and hasn't updated his records, but it's not likely. He seems too clean, too perfect. We know he recruited the men from the senior center. He's got to be the shot caller." He finished with a look at each of his teammates.

They all remained silent as they absorbed the information they were given. Kate nodded as she swiveled back towards her desk and jotted notes on her notepad. "It's too late to catch him at work tonight. Let's go there first thing tomorrow. Good work guys. Ryan, thank your buddy for me will you." She smiled, knowing he had used up a lifeline to get the information. "Go home guys." She dismissed them all with a smile before she began to close out her own station.

Ryan and Esposito both stood and grabbed their belongings before saying their goodbyes.

Kate waited until the men were in the elevator before she turned toward Castle who stared intently at the photo. "Rick?"

"Hmm?" He turned around and caught his wife looking up at him questioningly.

"What is it?" She stood and retrieved her stuff as she waited for him to respond.

"I'm just curious as to why the CEO would put himself out there like he did when he started recruiting in person. Surely he has this other guy Alan Smith working for him. Why didn't he send him?" He looked at her.

Beckett simply shrugged. "Maybe he tried. Or maybe he's a control freak and wants to do things himself." She responded. "Either way, he exposed himself, and now we have him. We will bring him in for questioning so we can get to the bottom of this." She smiled at him before she moved to hand him his coat. "Ready?"

"Yeah." He took the coat and grinned. "I'm always ready for a stakeout with you." He followed close behind as they headed to the elevator.

* * *

Alan sat in the darkened living room as he downed his seventh beer. The haze allowing him to nod off peacefully every now and then.

His initial plan had not been to get so intoxicated he could not keep his eyes open, but it had quickly escalated and he suddenly felt no need to stop.

He took another mouthful of the alcohol before he hung the bottle clumsily between his fingers and over the arm of the sofa. Drunkenly he dropped his head back and allowed his eyes to drift shut yet again.

It was not until the ringer of his phone sounded in the space that he woke his mind enough to string together any thoughts.

"What is it?" Even in his stupor, he knew who called.

"They left the precinct, sir." Alan's man responded.

Alan shook his head, immediately regretting the action. "You don't have to report back every time they move." He mouthed into his phone before he swallowed the rest of his beer.

"I thought you might want to know that they are headed your way."

Alan quickly sobered at hearing the information. He made sure to stand slowly, but he quickly walked toward his bedroom to freshen up and collect a few items. "Stay on them." He finished before he stuffed his phone in his pocket.

An hour later the man sat in his small office with yet another drink in hand.

The lights were dimmed and he stared at nothing in particular as he waited the night out in his tiny space.

Alan fought the spinning that circled in his head from both the drink and his thoughts. The situation at hand had gone from meticulous, to controlled chaos, to full on clean up and recovery, and he had no idea when it had turned for the worse.

A small chuckle escaped him when he nodded to himself at the realization. He knew exactly when everything had changed. The man had warned the boss that killing the recruits, especially in her territory, would only bring them trouble. His boss had ignored his concerns, and here they were.

He laughed again before he finished what was left of his drink and moved to serve himself another one. The phone on his desk vibrated loudly, or so he felt in the inner depths of his sensitive eardrums. With a cringe and a huff, he picked up the phone.

The name that flickered on the screen made him release a small sigh. In an empty attempt to sober up, he straightened his back and cleared his throat before accepting the call. "Yes."

"They have my name, Alan." The man's voice was low, but heavily laced with a quiet anger that sent Alan into full attention mode. "Detective Beckett and her team have had their fun. Bring them to me now."

"How did they get it?" Alan questioned.

"That doesn't matter. Bring her to me now!" The man lost control and finally yelled.

"I'll bring them in." Alan sighed to himself as he heard the deafening click on the other end of the call.

He walked to retrieve his keys before he made his own call. "The boss wants them. Bring them to the spot. I'll be there in an hour."

"You got it." His man replied.

* * *

Foggy car windows had never been something Kate Beckett fancied.

That much was obvious to Castle as he watched her attempt to wipe the inside of the windshield clean with her gloved hand. He could not fight the small grin that took over his face. All of the years he had known her, the time he had spent unraveling her layers, yet she still managed to surprise him. She kept him on his toes.

It was truly unfortunate she had no idea she was currently stomping on one of his deepest fantasies.

He retreated further against his chair when Beckett turned to pin him with a warning glare. Perhaps she did have an idea. "What?" He feigned innocence before taking a sip of his coffee.

The detective rolled her eyes. "I know that look." She shook her head as she moved back against the driver's seat with her own cup of coffee making its way to her lips.

"What look?" He grinned.

"The one on your face right now." She smiled. "Get your head out of the gutter, Castle."

"Come on, I'm way past that phase. I'm a caring, loving, considerate, gentleman."

"Right." Beckett shook her head again before she resumed looking out at the building in question.

"Just out of curiosity, though, would you be up for a timeout from work to you know, get in the back seat?" Clearly, Castle had a death wish, and he was not apologetic in the least. He only rubbed his arm with his free hand when his partner swatted him. "We can table that discussion." He pretended to be the one to end the conversation.

"Maybe another time, babe." She teased and enjoyed the way he bit his fist, evidently believing there was a chance.

The moment passed between the couple, but the silence that surrounded them was not tense as they kept an observant eye on the building hoping to catch a glimpse of this mysterious Alan Smith.

An hour had ticked by as they sat in the vehicle, their coffees long gone and their breaths becoming increasingly visible even inside.

"We forgot the blanket." Castle joked as he rubbed his hands together to warm them up. "But at least we remembered the snacks." He retrieved a small package of cookies from the center console and proceeded to open it- loudly.

Beckett shook her head playfully. "I can turn on the car if you need the heater to keep you warm." She teased.

"Or, we can reconsider that body heat sharing session." He mouthed with a cookie halfway to his mouth.

The light bantering continued in the car for a few minutes. They chuckled lightly, but kept their mission in mind as they made sure not to lose sight of any people entering or exiting the building.

Unfortunately, they failed to miss the man that approached the vehicle from their blind spot. Sticking to the shadows, he crouched and walked quietly towards them, like a professional hit man. He had been called for exactly this reason, because he was the best at what he did. Not many people would formulate a retrieval plan with such precision in such a short amount of time. Who could claim they would know exactly how to pull it off just by knowing the weather?

Chilly-dropping below freezing even. Perfect for cuddling and movie watching. Not so much for a stakeout in a frigid car. Eventually the occupants slash surveillance team would need heat, enough that they would break the rules of covert missions to turn the engine on in an attempt to revive the heat inside.

He counted on it.

And it was oh so beautiful to him, the sound of the engine coming to life, before he quickly dropped and rolled under the car to carry out his own stealthy mission.

Efficiently he worked under the belly of the beast. His hands were steady as he fastened the carbon dioxide canister he had stashed in his coat. Amazing what a tiny spray could do for him, and to the unsuspecting team that sat above him.

He released the nozzle with careful exactness and waited the required time before he was satisfied with the unavoidable results.

"One Detective Beckett and husband coming right up." The man smiled victoriously as he worked quietly to move the woman to the back of the car. "Too easy." He shook his head as he shifted the car into drive.

 **…**

 **Cue the music. So- who is pulling the strings on everything? And what do they have in store for Caskett? I have a feeling the next chapter will get intense. ;-)**


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: Hello friends! I have managed to complete this update before the holiday weekend (U.S.). I hope you guys enjoy it. We have only a couple of chapters left to go. How will it end? Stay tuned.

* * *

His shoulder roared in protest at the hard surface underneath. The cold that seeped up from the concrete and into the bone not helping him find comfort at all.

Castle was not yet fully conscious as he gauged his surroundings with half-lidded eyes. A headache ripped through him the instant he craned his neck in an attempt to look around. He groaned audibly as he resigned to flipping onto his back instead.

He forced the dryness in his throat down with a swallow. "Kate?" He finally managed to call out in the darkness. "Beckett?" He added after a few seconds of silence.

Worry and panic began to set in at the absence of her response. His eyes moved blindly over the expanse of the ceiling as he waited for her to speak to him. His mind immediately conjured images of her injured body, bloodied and bruised, somewhere far out of his reach.

Normally Castle could make light of any situation, but he found it difficult to do so right then. It was especially tough when he found himself tethered to the floor by a chain, the cuff at the wrist digging into his flesh. He wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose to ease the throbbing in his head, but failed miserably with a grunt.

His heart skipped a beat when he finally heard what he had been waiting for. "Rick?" Beckett called for him in a pained whisper. "What happened?"

All precaution went out the window as he sat up quickly to locate where she was. "Kate." He fought against the wave of nausea that swirled in his stomach. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm alright." Beckett rattled her own chains and grumbled in disbelief. "Oh no, not again. Are you cuffed, too?" She squinted in his direction.

"Yes." Castle smiled despite their predicament. Having her confirm she was unharmed mollified his concern.

"Are you ok?" She followed up.

Her husband nodded in the dark before he tried to stand up. "Other than the massive headache and upset stomach I think I'm ok."

His legs trembled as he stood. "I can stand up, but the chain is coming from the ground to my left wrist. It's a pretty heavy-duty set. I'm not getting out of this anytime soon." Castle pulled lightly on the chain and immediately regretted the action as it dug further into his skin.

Beckett moved around as well and confirmed she was dealing with the same situation. "Where are we?" She voiced her frustration as she failed to register any findings in the darkened room. "What the hell happened?"

"I remember the stakeout." Castle began.

"Nothing after that." Beckett finished. "Castle I think we were drugged. The coffee?" She looked around the room again searching for any clues.

"I'm not sure." He huffed as he backed up against the wall in a dejected fashion. Slowly he lowered to the ground and sighed heavily. "I wish you were closer." He murmured.

Beckett smiled in the dark. "Me too." She replied, but before she could say anything else, light flooded a corner of the room where a door opened wide.

The couple turned to look in the direction, their senses on high alert as they both stood tall and ready for a fight despite their limited mobility.

"Sit. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not that guy. His turn is coming." A man spoke from the doorway as he walked in with something in hand. It was only when he moved closer to them that they realized he carried a tray with food and water for two.

Beckett narrowed her eyes in the darkness to get a better look at the man. He was tall, but extremely thin, yet something told her his size was not what he used as a weapon. "Where are we? Why are we here?" She stood tall during her inquiry.

The man smiled menacingly as he placed the tray in front of Castle and Beckett. Towering between them, he leaned towards the detective, his arm extended and aimed to touch her face. "You're where he wants you to be, and though I find his methods to be a bit antiquated, I can't say he is not good at what he does."

"Don't touch her." Castle warned with a blatant look.

A deep chuckle escaped the man as he turned to face him. "Don't worry husband, I won't. I was only instructed to get you here, not to harm you."

"You drugged us." Beckett stated to get his attention. "Who is _he_?"

"All in due time." He grinned at her. "Eat. You will need the energy." He spoke cryptically right before he turned to walk away.

The newly darkened room would have been silent if were not for the heavy breathing coming from both Kate and Rick.

Castle was the first to add more sounds to the space when he started to wrestle with the cuff on his wrist. He grunted and fiddled while he exhaled in frustration.

"Rick, stop." Beckett finally spoke after having watched him struggle to get free for a few minutes. "You're going to do more damage than anything."

Rick looked over to her as he continued to breathe deeply. "Well I'm not sitting around here waiting for them to come back." He retorted. "We have to get out of here, Kate. If that guy was the nice guy, I'd hate to find out what the bad guy looks like." He shook his head.

The detective stared back at her husband for a few seconds. Her mind raced to find connections to their current situation. More so, how to get out of it.

"Do you have your phone on you?" She asked with little hope. She suspected he would find his pockets as empty as hers.

Castle was quick to dig in his pockets, but sighed when he found they had taken his phone with the rest of his belongings. "No. They have my keys too."

"I thought so." Beckett replied. "OK so I see plexiglass windows on the far left. There are wooden crates scattered around." She voiced her observation, thankful that the light had allowed her to study the room for a bit.

"A warehouse maybe." Castle added as he attempted to look around. Even though his vision had adjusted somewhat, he still had a hard time making out any real details.

Beckett nodded without responding. "No one knows we're here, Castle." She finally added with a small hint of anguish in her voice. "We didn't tell the guys we were onto Alan Smith. I should have told them." She continued.

"Kate, if you would have said anything, they would have questioned where we got the list. You said so yourself." He tried to comfort her.

Beckett did not respond as she sat as far as the chain would allow, pulling the tray that was on the floor along with her. She was worried about everything, but there was no telling how long it would take them to get more information, or even a chance to escape. Therefore, she settled for eating as the man had suggested. They were no good if they did not keep up their energy.

Castle quickly moved to sit as close to his wife as possible. He studied the food and water for a minute. It took him a while to convince himself that their captors would not go through the trouble of keeping them alive only to poison them. It was then that he took the first sip of water and the first bite before he pushed the tray towards Beckett. Together they ate in silence.

* * *

Detective Ryan sat at his desk as he waited for the data transfer to complete the upload from his desktop to his mobile. Esposito and he were ready to head out to Scott Hale's workplace per Beckett's instructions, and that would require brains as well as brawn.

He looked around while he waited, finding it odd that his other two friends were not yet in. "Hey Espo, where are Castle and Beckett?" He knitted his brows. His partner looked up from his keyboard and returned the questioning expression.

"Running late." Esposito shrugged. "Maybe they had a late night." He dismissed his own growing concern.

Ryan nodded as he hit the complete button on his mobile and stood. "Let's go check this guy out." The partners secured their guns in their holsters and walked out together.

Scott Hale's business was as inconspicuous as he was.

The building the detectives had walked into was more modest than they expected. Perhaps maybe even a little too casual, with no signage, no fancy lobby, and no spectacular views. It was a one-story building, with one set of double doors, which led straight to a receptionist parked behind a barren desk. Not even flowers decorated her tabletop.

Some walls were a dreary off-white, the occasional inspirational quote hung lonely and out of place.

Esposito shared a wary look with this partner before they stopped at the front desk. A young woman looked up with a glare, annoyed by the intrusion. "How can I help you?" She looked between the men.

"We're looking for the boss." Esposito answered in short.

With a curious look, the woman shook her head. "Mr. Hale is not in." She replied. "Are you here about a security detail?" Her tone was professional, but her knitted brows suggested she suspected the duo's motives.

"We sure are." Ryan cut in before Esposito could respond. "We were told your company had the best to offer. Could we get Mr. Hale's contact information? Does he have a business card?" He played along.

The woman feigned a smile before she handed Ryan the card he had asked for. "Here you go. He will be able to answer your questions."

The men studied the card. "It says Alan Smith on the card. Mr. Hale seems like a _real_ people person." Esposito commented derisively.

"Mr. Smith handles all of the contract negotiations. Mr. Hale runs the business, there's no need for one on one with _people_." She replied just as mockingly. "Thank you for your interest in our business. Please get ahold of Mr. Smith if you wish to sign a contract." The woman responded with finality before she returned to swiping through her phone.

Esposito and Ryan walked out with small smiles on their faces. "Well, at least we have one of these punks." Esposito flicked the card that was still in his partner's hand.

* * *

Links echoed in the darkness as Beckett struggled to get comfortable against the wall behind her.

What little light they could see coming through the small frosted windows, had disappeared with the setting of the sun.

They had been in the room for a day now, and both Castle and Beckett were beginning to feel the effects of being shackled and neglected. Their bodies ached from sitting on and against the hard and unforgiving surfaces, their stomachs growled from the lack of filling food or water, but most of all time had allowed them the freedom to grow anxious with need for information.

Castle huffed as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "I want a cheeseburger." He muttered almost as a child would.

Kate did not fight the small smile that broke out on her face. "And a milkshake." She followed along.

He chuckled. "Chocolate of vanilla?" He questioned as he moved his eyes to hers.

Her brows knitted. "Do you even have to ask?" She grinned.

"Chocolate…good choice." He nodded with a grin of his own.

The pair continued to distract themselves with their talk, going back and forth between foods, candy, and drinks before they heard voices outside of the room. They moved their gazes to the door. Light once again flooded the immediate area around the opening, revealing the tall man they had previously met.

Unconsciously their bodies shifted closer to each other, ignoring the pinching of the cuffs on their skin. They waited silently and warily for the man as he approached them.

"How are we?" Kate glared up at the man as he spoke.

"Peachy." Kate replied with a phony smile.

"The Tall Man", as he would come to be known forever to them, grinned before he leaned down. "Someone wants to meet you." He moved to bring her up before Castle stood in a hurry attempting to rush him. The chain stiffened at its fully extended length and he gritted his teeth at the pain that radiated form his wrist. "Don't hurt yourself, husband, she'll be alright." He smiled tauntingly. "I'll take care of her."

Worried that Castle might react again, and that the man might not be as forgiving a second time, Beckett complied and stood slowly. "No, Kate." Castle shook his head as she moved her cuff towards the man.

"It's ok, Castle." She smiled softly at him, hoping to calm his anxiety, but all he could do was continue to glare at the tall man with a shake of his head.

Kate looked back at her husband one last time before the tall man took her by the elbow and led her out of the room.

Castle ran a shaky hand through his hair, the helpless feeling that coursed through him forcing him to pace.

A particular smell drifted through the yellow-lit hallway before it invaded the detective's senses. Her nostrils flared at the unmistakable scent. A smell she was very familiar with, one that brought back memories of her father and her. She realized immediately she had a clue about where they were, and that ignited a spark of hope within her.

"So am I meeting the boss?" She finally spoke as she tried her best to memorize their turns and any identifiable markings on the concrete walls. If her and Castle were to escape, she wanted to make sure to map out their best chances.

The tall man shook his head. "Consider yourself lucky. For now." He flashed her a toothy grin, but kept his eyes forward as he led them towards a dead end. A dilapidated wooden door rested partially open before his free hand pushed it open. "Your famous Detective Beckett, Alan." He announced as he led her into a windowless room.

In the time it took Beckett to tear her glance away from the tall man, her brain connected the dots. Alan Smith. It had to be _that_ Alan. When her eyes finally drifted across the room and towards the other body in the room, her breath caught in her throat with a gasp.

"You have been making my life hell, Katie."

The woman shook her head, her heart breaking at the turn of events. "Will?"

 **…**

 **Names and faces are falling into place. Kudos to southerngirl1 who suspected Alan would be our old "friend" Will. Hope we're all surviving the withdrawals. I miss Castle! I miss Caskett!**


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: Hello friends! Hope everyone is still with me. Here is the penultimate chapter to this story that I have had such a blast piecing together. Thank you, once again, V for all of the help! Enjoy peeps.

* * *

Kate Beckett gulped down the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Seeing Will stand aloof before her made her blood run cold.

She had prided herself on being a good judge of character, but suddenly she questioned everything about herself and her place in the cold world she came to know.

Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she continued to struggle with her thoughts and words.

"Katie, my sweet Katie. Do you know how hard I have been trying to keep you safe?" The strong-jawed man smiled arrogantly at her before he stepped around a rundown table.

The woman forced her feet to move back a few paces subconsciously.

"Come on Katie, don't be afraid of me." He toyed with her trust.

Beckett blinked back the tears, willing herself to remain strong and steadfast. "I'm not." She finally voiced with a hint of anger.

Will Sorenson nodded with amazement and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He spared a glance at his partner, signaling for him to leave the room. "You shouldn't be. I promise nothing will happen to you if you cooperate." He perched himself on the corner of the table never breaking eye contact with the detective.

"Cooperate with what, Will?" Beckett questioned.

The man allowed a deep sigh to flow from his mouth before he shook his head. "You see, I work for a man who really wants to see you, your idiot husband, and the bro-seph duo gone. However, if you tell me everything you know about the case you are currently working on, I will try my best to get him to let you live. I can't do much about the other three stooges." He grinned tauntingly.

Kate attempted to swallow as discreetly as possible before she shook her head. "I need answers of my own before anything else is said." She moved a few steps towards him.

Will shook his head adamantly. "That's not how it works, Kate. We are in charge; we say when you get to ask the questions… _if any_." He replied as he moved his hands out of his pockets to cup her face. "God, you are still as beautiful as ever aren't you." He moved his face closer, but the detective used her hands to push him back forcefully. "Fine. I get it." He released her face before he moved behind the table once again. "Now, what do you know? Who are you currently investigating as part of this case you stumbled upon weeks ago?" He glared at her.

"Can't say." Beckett responded candidly.

"I need names. What do you know?" He planted his hands on the table to lean forward.

"That's official NYPD business, Will. Since you are no longer with the FBI-" She replied as Will looked at her with surprise in his eyes. She nodded. "Russia was a dead giveaway. Using the same alias as cover? Smart." She teased. "You have no clearance."

The man laughed aloud as he threw his head back in frustration. "Don't have clearance?" He laughed again as he looked back at her. "Trust me, Katie. I have all the clearance I need." His sudden pause sent chills down Beckett's back. "But if you need to see that clearance, I can provide that for you." His eyes burned with annoyance as he slammed his palms on the tabletop. "Louie!" He yelled before Beckett jumped with surprise and confusion. The tall man entered the room once again. "Take her back and make sure that chain is secure. I'll be right over." He shook his head before he turned to pace the room.

Beckett had stumbled at first as the tall man pulled her out of the room. Her hands had gripped the nearest wall to steady herself. Yet her safety was the farthest thing from her mind as she felt herself pushed through the door of the darkened room where they were kept. She had seen it before, and her heart dropped because she knew very well where this could and likely would lead.

"Kate!" She registered Castle's yell as he stood in a hurry. The rattle of his chains echoed throughout the space. "Are you alright?" She nodded silently at him as the tall man shoved her into the wall so he could cuff her. "Did they touch you?" He questioned. "You better not have laid a finger on her you son of a bitch." His eyes glared at the tall man then.

"Relax, Castle. I'm alright. Calm down." She eyed him before the tall man nodded in agreement with the woman.

"Alright kids. Stay put." The tall man finalized as he walked out of the room.

Castle wasted no time in walking towards his wife. "What happened?" He reached for her hand and sighed, relieved that he could at least brush her fingers with his.

Beckett shook her head before she responded. Her eyes reddened from the emotions that bubbled to the surface yet again. "Will Sorenson is involved in this."

Castle said nothing as he encouraged her to continue explaining with a small touch of fingers and a nod.

"He's Alan Smith, Castle. Alan Smith is Will Sorenson. That's who I was taken to go meet." She swallowed her anger and hurt as she looked around the darkened room to regain her composure. "He's one of the main players."

Her husband's eyes widened with both surprise and anger. "He's going to pay for this, Kate." He nodded at her before their eyes locked onto each other.

Whatever words they were on the verge of sharing died in the air when they both heard the door creak open. The tall man stood off to the side almost as if he were ushering in a member of high society, when in fact all Castle saw was Will Sorenson. Immediately, adrenaline flooded his body as the anger consumed him. "My friend the G-man Sorenson is here, Beckett." Castle cringed inwardly at the joke, but realized it was his attempt at assuaging the unrelenting need to slam his fist into the man's face.

They shared a small look before the object of the jest laughed aloud and walked slowly towards the pair. "Rick Castle." He laughed again before he sighed, annoyed at both the writer's lame joke and the grin he flashed him. "Mr. I'm-Only-Here-For-Research, it's great to see you again. Looks like you stayed longer than expected and you managed to reel this beautiful woman in... _really?_ I still can't believe that one." Will shook his head as he popped a few top buttons on his shirt. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding." He shrugged facetiously.

Castle huffed. "Right." He rolled his eyes before he cleared his throat. "So what do you want with us, Sorenson?"

The man smiled. "Katie and you have been working on a case that heavily concerns me and my boss. I was called in to get information on what you know. Technically, the less you know, the higher your chances of survival. Although, if I feel you're holding out on me, it will drastically lessen those chances." He responded as he began to unbutton his sleeve cuffs so he could roll them up.

Recognizing the demeanor immediately, Beckett moved to get his attention before he spoke again. "What is it exactly that you need to know? I doubt you want us to go through useless information. We would be wasting your time." She smiled innocently at him, but new he would see right through her. Will Sorenson was not one of her suspects, he was the man that broke them down to get a confession.

Will smiled while simultaneously shaking his head. "Kate, come on, you know me. I'm a stickler for the details within the details. Start from the beginning."

"No." Castle interrupted. "Why are you so excited to know about the case? Afraid we might out you? Maybe you think you know what we know, maybe you are wrong." Beckett stared at her husband out of the corner of her eye, hoping he would try not to antagonize Will too much.

The man's square chin protruded with arrogance. "Ricky, you don't know me that well, so let me give you some advice…" He used the element of surprise and propelled forward without hesitation to land a punch straight to Castle's abdomen.

Castle doubled over with his arms wrapped around his middle in an attempt to ease the pain. He took a few seconds to gasp for air. With a light nod, he smiled up at Sorenson. "Message received, G-man."

All the while Beckett ached to touch her husband, but the chain would not allow it. Her anger rose as she glared at the man before them.

"Now, Kate, two men died a few weeks ago, brutally murdered. What were their names?" He cocked his head to look at her, but stayed rooted to his spot.

Beckett studied Castle, now composed and standing tall before Will. "Don't, Kate." Castle murmured.

She shook her head to clear her doubts and hesitations. "Let me make it easier for you to find the motivation to respond." Will tore her attention from the writer when he spoke. Quickly he landed another punch to Castle's stomach. This time Castle coughed in pain while he bent forward, his head nearly colliding with Will's own stomach.

The detective huffed with anger as she cleared her eyes from any emotions. She could not let Will see any of what she was battling internally.

Will shook his head with disappointment at the pregnant silence. His eyes never left hers as he pushed Castle up with a firm hand to the writer's forehead. "I knew you were stubborn Kate, but you're really going to let me do this to your husband to protect some ancient code about honor and justice?" He grinned. "Come on. Names."

"Will, stop. You don't have to do this." Beckett began to speak softly to him, hoping to appeal to his better nature. "You were one of the good guys. What happened?" She pleaded with her eyes.

The man turned to study Castle before he looked back to Beckett. "I was the good guy once, Kate. But it took one event for my life to turn upside down." He shook his head as he pushed Castle roughly into the wall behind him. Beckett glared at him as he moved towards her.

"Come back, G-man. That's all you got?" Castle spurred him on to divert his attention from his wife.

Will did not bother to look to Castle as he lifted a hand to caress Kate's cheek. "Oh, I'm not done with you, writer boy."

"Then come give me your best shot." He urged as he fought against the chain to move closer to them. The bile in his stomach rose as he witnessed the way with which the man touched Beckett.

"So what happened?" Beckett asked as she backed away. She did not fail to notice the slight shake of Castle's head as he disapproved of her baiting.

Will smiled, not failing to notice the way each of them tried to save the other from harm. A small part of him envied them, but mostly he fed off of it to ensure he completed his mission. "I was young and full of excitement when I first joined the FBI. I had hopes and aspirations to be the best agent I could be. As a result, I worked hard to get the toughest cases and impress the most important people. It worked out well until my curiosity caught up with me." He shook his head. "You and I are a lot of like in that sense. Always want to dig deeper, uncover a little more. I guess this might be your turning point too, if the boss gets his way." He looked at Beckett regretfully, knowing that the night might not end well for at least one of the people involved, including him.

"It doesn't have to be that way." Kate responded.

"It didn't have to be back then either, but it was. You go looking for gods and eventually you find devils." He continued. "I wanted to reach the top of the mountain, and ultimately I found out the only people there were the ones holding all of the power. The ones that decide who lives and dies. Who gets away with murder, and who doesn't."

"I don't understand, Will." Kate shook her head.

He nodded, signaling he would piece it all together for her. "I was lead on an investigation involving a drug ring in Washington, D.C. I had no idea that I was about to step on a dragon's tail."

Castle's movements came to a halt at Will's words. His eyes immediately searched out Kate's. He found them locked on the other man's as she shook her head fixedly. "Not Bracken. Please tell me you had nothing to do with that son of a bitch." She relinquished her fight against every wave of emotion that threatened to take her under, and she let the tears fall.

Will nodded slowly. "I had no choice. I was taking down his men, hurting his business."

"Damn you." Kate muttered angrily.

"I _was_ damned. It was either he killed me and every single member of my family, or I joined him in the fight to conceal his involvement in all things corrupt."

"Her mother?" Castle finally asked with an equally heavy heart. His arms hung defeated at his sides as he looked from him to his wife. "Were you involved with keeping his name clean?"

The man nodded as he finally turned to look at the writer. "Bracken forced me to learn everything about Johanna's case." He looked back to Kate.

"Did you- did you get involved with me to babysit me? Was your job to keep me away from the truth?" Beckett questioned, remembering how similar deals had been made with Castle and Mr. Smith, albeit for different reasons.

"What little that helped, right?" Sorenson shook himself to put his mask back on. "I fell for you hard despite my mission, and leaving you for another station was not ideal, but Bracken understood I had to keep up appearances with the FBI. I warned him you would eventually uncover his role in all of it, but he assured me he had men to deal with you if you got too close." He laughed. "And of course we all know how that worked out, too. You are one badass woman, Katherine Beckett." A frustrated sigh passed through his lips.

Beckett inhaled deeply to compose herself. "Bracken sent everyone he could to take me down, but I'm still here, Will. I'm not going anywhere." She responded with a determined glare.

Castle's jaw clenched in response to Will's challenging grin and subtle nod.

"I hope you are right, Katie." The man nodded before he turned to walk a few feet towards Castle. "Ready to keep going?" He grinned. Castle wanted to hit him more than ever before.

The writer only nodded, egging the other man on. When Will pulled his arm back, winding up for the next punch, Beckett interrupted. "Stop!" She shook her head at the man she thought she once knew. "Eric Parrilla and Rob Flores." She let their names spill freely and was pleased to see Will move away from Castle.

"Go on." He encouraged.

Beckett looked towards her husband before turning her attention back to Sorenson. "Murdered days apart. No prints, no DNA evidence, no suspects. Besides you- Alan Smith." She deadpanned.

Will straightened his back as he looked on at Beckett. "Don't sound so disappointed." He shrugged. "I do what I have to do to survive."

"Bullshit." She replied. "You could have found a way back to us, we could have helped you. I would have helped you. Instead, you chose the easy way out." Her words chastised the man.

"Better the devil you know." He answered nonchalantly.

The woman shook her head. Amazed at how different the man that stood before her was to the man she had come to care for so many years ago. He was a shell of that blue-eyed honest man, replaced by an apathetic entity that survived by taking the lives of others. "Did you kill them?" Beckett asked, hoping he would start giving himself up.

"I did." He replied.

Beckett shook her head incredulously. "Why? Are you the ring leader of the cocaine business now?" She revealed her next bit of information.

The man shook his head. "I oversee things, but I'm no ring leader." He grinned. "I see you know about the drugs. I imagine you know this is all still very connected to your mother's demise."

"Shut up." She warned him with a menacing scowl. "You never get to bring up my mother ever again."

* * *

The men stood in front of their Captain as they ran through the details.

Gates stared on as she listened intently despite the late hours. "They could be following a lead."

"Both of their phones go straight to voicemail, and when we drove to their loft, the doorman mentioned they hadn't been home." Esposito shared.

Kevin nodded. "Something is wrong, Captain. They wouldn't go somewhere, even to follow a lead without letting us know." He defended them. "We need the security detail we had on them as back up. We want to look for them." He added.

The woman's eyes shifted between the pair and the empty desk and old chair beside it before she nodded. "Fine. Try their phones again. If that does not work, bring up any security camera footage from around their loft and the Precinct." She shook her head suddenly. "Right about now I'm wishing Detective Beckett would have agreed to getting a loaner car from the lot while we got hers squared away. I'm assuming you guys can't track Mr. Castle's?" She looked pointedly at them and sighed when they responded with shaking heads.

"His car was due to get a modified GPS system next month. Long line of recalls on the model he used to own. It's been off for a couple of weeks now." Esposito commented.

"Go see what you can do." She advised and the men exited her office in a hurry.

Each man handled their own assigned task, which they had silently agreed on as they walked out into the bullpen.

Kevin slammed his phone into its cradle as he failed to reach either of their friends. "Nothing, man, their phones are either dead or off." He rubbed his face frustrated.

After a few minutes of the same, Esposito looked up from his monitor. "Hey bro, Alan Smith."

Ryan swiveled to face his partner. "Yeah?" Hopeful he would continue with his train of thought.

"Castle and Beckett have yet to give us anything on him. We've been looking in to our own leads that we haven't sat down with them on that. What if they had a lead?"

"But why would they not tell us?" Ryan questioned with furrowed brows.

His partner shrugged. "They hadn't gotten around to it, maybe. Or they had nothing solid to share." The man knew the answer might not suffice, but he was willing to forego the details in order to maximize their chances of finding their friends if they were in any danger. "You still have the dude's card, right? Call him. Let's see what we can get out of him."

Kevin nodded before he jumped into action. Esposito continued to analyze security footage, hoping to map out where they were headed last.

* * *

Time moved for the world outside, but for Kate and Rick, it almost froze as they each endured the punishment Will was inflicting.

They spent several minutes on the connections between Vulcan Simmons and his cocaine. When Will had questioned Kate about knowing who the current ringleader of the drugs was, she shook her head and he moved onto landing some more punches on Castle. Eventually, moving to his face to wreak damage that was much more visible and displeasing to his wife.

"We don't know who runs the drug circle. I told you already." Kate pulled on the chain some more, her wrist now bleeding from the repetitive action. "All we know is that someone you work for hired Eric and Rob to sell the drugs for him around New York. That's it." She insisted. "And that you killed them both." She added angrily for the tenth time.

"I told you to stop patronizing me about that. I do what I am told. I had to take them out." He pushed harder on the foot that rested on Castle's chest.

"Why? Who told you to do it? Because it isn't Bracken giving orders. So who's your boss now?" She questioned again.

The man kicked Castle's ribs once more. The writer groaned as he recoiled from the attack and rocked to the opposite side to prevent his weight from accentuating the pain that ripped through him. "I ask the questions." Sorenson snarled. "Now you tell me, who hired Joe?" He moved onto the new question after failing to get answers about what they might know about his boss.

"I don't know." Kate responded casually, missing the fact that Will had used the man's real name. She continued to struggle with the anger of not being able to step in between Sorenson and Castle.

Suddenly the man grinned. "So you do know more about Joe and Frank. What are you keeping from me?" He glared at her when he moved his eyes from the writer's beaten body to her tense one.

She immediately regretted letting the information slip from her mouth. "Nothing. We figured out they were using aliases. We know their names. That's it." Kate replied solemnly.

Will shook his head. "I don't believe you." He looked back to Castle who still nursed his sore ribs and writhed in place. "Why won't you just tell me what you know!" He yelled. "Anything you know is not worth this. Tell me, Kate!" He continued his tirade. "Tell me or I keep going with writer boy."

Beckett pulled on the chain and grimaced, feeling the sting when the metal made contact with her open flesh. Her hand went up despite the pain. "Alright." She sighed. "Stop asking question in circles. What do you need to know? What do you _really_ want to know?"

He was on the verge of responding when another voice made its self known to the occupants of the darkened room. "Alan." The man spoke from beside one of the crates. "I'll take it from here." He moved slyly towards the group. His demeanor was calm and collected as he removed his coat and handed it to Will, who had stepped away from Castle at the sound of his boss' voice.

Castle never bothered to open his eyes as he took advantage of the moment to inhale some much-needed oxygen. His lungs burned from the lack of it since he had convinced his body to expand his chest less and less to avoid the pain in his ribs.

Beckett stood still as she carefully studied the approaching man. Her breathing ragged from both the cold that now seeped through the Plexiglass windows and the adrenaline that ran through her veins.

"Detective Katherine Beckett, NYPD." He looked at her calmly. "The woman who became a cop to avenge her mother's death."

His face came into view, detailed by the moonlight that shone upon it as he neared her. "John." She recognized the man from the information Esposito and Ryan had just gathered a day ago. Perhaps two. She could not recall just then.

"You can call me Scott Hale, detective." He smiled.

* * *

Officers moved around the parking lot of the Twelfth Precinct as they readied themselves and their squad cars.

After Ryan had attempted to call Alan Smith's number, and had become very familiar with the man's voicemail message, he had decided they had to try for plan B. Said plan involved running a trace on the number, everything from records, to address, to global positioning system coordinates. Luckily the man's phone was on, forgotten on his desk, in his car, in his pant pocket. The truth was they did not care. They had what they needed. His location.

Luck was on their side when Esposito's footage search turned up that Castle's car had been spotted a block from the apartment listed under the cellphone owner's records. They were onto Alan. He was on to them. Conceivably there had been a confrontation, maybe not, but chances were: wherever this Alan guy was Castle and Beckett were sure to be.

Esposito finished strapping on his bullet proof vest when he ran a check on his partner. Nodding once in approval, he dove into the trunk of his car in search of two weapons. The men inspected them and cocked them before they made their way to the Captain.

"Gentlemen, Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle need to be found alive. Please do everything in your power to bring them home safe, above all else." Captain Victoria Gates nodded at her men before she looked out at the gathering of officers ready for support. Their breaths mingled with the crisp winter air. "Be careful gentlemen." She dismissed them as she looked once more over at Esposito and Ryan. "I will be on standby here. If anything goes south you are to call it in immediately. I will send the entire cavalry if I have to. Those two are our people, and in this Precinct we defend our own." The men nodded with pride and determination before they headed out in search of their friends.

* * *

"Mr. Castle." The man looked down to the writer who still lay still on the concrete floor. His face bloody and beaten. "Master of the Macabre. Probably wishing you had not bumped into this beautiful woman right about now are you not?" He smiled down at him.

"Not a chance." Castle whispered out through the pain.

The man looked up to Beckett, impressed by Castle's resolve. "Picked a winner here, Detective." He commented with lifted brows. "Now, I know Alan has been a little less than welcoming, but you have to forgive him, he goes above and beyond to fulfill his duties. He's a bit of a show off if you ask me, prolongs the inevitable." He commented as he turned to look at Alan. "I myself am more of straight to the point kind of man. I ask what needs to be asked, and get what I want. When I don't, then I simply remove that which prevented me from succeeding in the first place." Scott almost grinned with mischief.

Beckett stared on as she listened to the man. It was when Castle moved to stand that she broke out of the trance and moved closer towards him. Wishing again she could help him up and sooth his aches.

"You're the recruiter." Castle muttered as he held onto his ribs. "You're the one who hired Joe and Frank to run the drugs for you." He continued through his labored breathing.

Scott looked onto Castle with a straight face, zero emotions hinted at what the man was thinking. Until he spoke. "And what a mistake that was." He puffed. "Frank was a good hire- he was my main seller on the streets. It was when he insisted we bring Joe on board that things fell apart."

Beckett tore her eyes from her husband long enough to look at the man. "What happened?"

"Frank got played. We all did. And if there's anything I despise it's a snitch. I got word that a member of my ring was working undercover for someone in the FBI. At first, I feared it was this man." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb at Alan. "I know he was running with the FBI back during his glory days, I feared he might have gone back for good. I know he has history with you, but that matters little to me. He had never strayed. After I realized he would never betray me, especially after I helped him escape the FBI's radar, I knew it was someone else."

"So you had Joe killed." Beckett concluded.

The man nodded. "I sent Alan to take out Joe. I wanted more information, but I could not risk him taking any more details back to his contact. Frank was next. He fell for Joe's charade, and cost my business money. I couldn't stand for that. I told Alan he was to keep you off our trail since we were on your turf, but he warned me you would piece it all together." He smiled at Beckett. "You are a rare woman, Beckett, lovely and deadly." He grinned. "Anyway, I digress. Killing Joe was probably good in the long run. I hope so anyway. I figured you fine people of the New York Police Department would find out who Joe's contact was. And that's why we are here tonight, really. I need the name of the FBI agent who had Joe infiltrate my drug ring."

Both Castle and Beckett stood still, trying their best not to give away anything with their desperate need to widen their eyes with worry. There was no way they would give up Roy, not to anyone. Not after everything they had all been through already.

Kate was the first to shake her head. "I'm afraid we are at a dead end. We don't have that information for you." She lied, hoping to sound as convincing as possible.

Scott smiled wide before he nodded. "Oh, Ms. Beckett. I really hope for your and your husband's sake that you are bluffing. Otherwise, we really are at a _dead end_." He smirked.

"We know no one at the FBI besides him." Castle pointed to Sorenson with his head. "You sure he's not your man?" He challenged Scott.

"No, Mr. Castle. Alan here has been with my family for a few years now. I doubt he would do me that disservice, right Alan?" He looked sideways at the man who shook his head back at him.

Castle knitted his brows. He was a man interested in the story. The facts that compiled together to create the story no one would care to wait around for. He looked between Scott and Sorenson for a few seconds before he strung together the clues. "No." He shook his head. "How?" The writer questioned.

"Castle?" Beckett asked, concern and confusion in her voice as she looked at her husband. "What is it?"

It was that moment that Scott produced a gun from behind his back, aimed directly at Castle. "I really don't want to use this, but I will, Detective Beckett. Unless you give me the name of the agent."

"Wait." Castle continued through gritted teeth, the pain becoming more and more unbearable with every breath. "Answer my question first."

"Mr. Castle, ask your question simply and straight." He replied with the gun still pointed at the writer.

"What is your real name?" Castle began.

"Scott Hale, Mr. Castle. We've met." He responded with a sarcastic grin.

"Really?" He continued.

The man nodded. "Yes. My mother named me after an uncle."

"What about your father, he had no say?" Beckett looked between the pair as they traded words, curious as to where her partner was headed with all of this.

The man's smile dropped immediately and noticeably. "My father was not around." He replied curtly.

"Why is that Mr. Hale? Was he in the military?" Castle pushed. "No, wait, he skipped out on you and your mom maybe?"

"Castle." Beckett warned, uneasy about the direction the situation could take.

Castle nodded in understanding, but continued to look at the man with the gun in his hand. "I get it, my dad left my mother and me too." Castle spoke before he grunted from a particular jab he felt in his chest when he inhaled too much air. "Although my dad's reason was pretty cool now that I think about it."

"Why is that Mr. Castle?" Scott asked with a serious tone.

"My dad's a spy. How about yours is he spy? I bet he left for a good reason though, right? He wanted to save the world, make a difference?"

The man shook his head slowly. "My father is a coward." Beckett looked surprised at the response. "He abandoned me for his own benefit. Not to change the world. He wanted everything for himself, and my mother and I- we were not invited to share in his glory."

"Ouch." Castle added sardonically. "Tough luck."

"I swore I would never be like him, that I would succeed where he failed. Climb up to the top, have the people trust and confide in me. That I would share my accomplishments with those that helped me attain them. Something he could never do. All he was concerned about was reaching the top and staying there. No matter whom he had to eliminate to get there. Including my mother." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "He killed her, left me an orphan, and moved on with his life." He paused to look at Beckett with the same straight face as before. No tears, no emotions, no hints. "If it was not for the fact that your father was with you at the restaurant that night, I am certain you would have suffered the same fate as me, detective. An orphan child, left to fend for herself."

Kate gasped audibly as she put her own story together. With a firm shake of her head she looked at the man in disbelief. "William Bracken is your father." She stated rather than asked.

"The man made me, but he is not my father, Detective Beckett." He voiced coolly.

 **…**

 **Boom. Who saw that coming? I bet a few of you had this theory spinning upstairs. So what do we think is going to happen next? Any ideas? Anything we DON'T want to happen?**


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.

AN: Well hello my dear friends. We have come to the end of our journey. I have had a great time writing this for you all, and it was even more rewarding to chat with you all. I appreciate even the smallest hellos from you all. Thank you. Thanks caskettingthesix for the immense amount of support you gave me throughout this story. You are awesome and I hope to keep it going for future work.

AN2: I do want to throw out a few side notes. 1)I realize Fort Tilden is now partly a tourist destination, but for the purpose of my story I have left it abandoned and neglected. 2)

* * *

Castle watched Scott attentively while the gun remained steadily targeted on him.

When Beckett had begun to figure the story out for herself, his initial thought had been to lunge at the man while he was preoccupied with his rant, but he cursed the fact that the chain would not grant him the freedom he needed to carry out his plan. In the end, he settled for staring between Scott and Sorenson, waiting for an alternate plan to come to fruition.

His ears perked at the sound of a phone ringing, the sudden jolt of surprise sent a stab of pain through his ribs and chest.

Whatever discussion was held between Scott and Kate came to a halt when the man turned to face the owner of the offending noisemaker. His gun dropped from where it had been pointed at Rick the past several minutes.

Everyone stared for a few seconds as the phone continued to buzz.

"You mind, Alan?" Scott questioned Sorenson with a straight face.

Will wasted no time in pulling out the device and shutting it off completely, he shrugged apologetically at his boss before he left the room.

"Where was I?" Scott questioned rhetorically as he turned back towards Beckett and Castle. The pair shot him identical looks of panic, but remained quiet. "Ah-" he paused to move the gun back to Castle. "Yes. So Detective, knowing what you now know about me, will that at all persuade you to give me the name of the agent in charge?" There was no smirk, no glare, just a curious look awaiting an answer.

Beckett sighed and shook her head. "Scott, I have no name for you. We believed both men were hired by you." She lied. Her eyes glued to his, hoping she sounded sincere.

Scott studied the woman's features in silence as his mind was churning in the background.

Before anyone knew what happened, the shot rang out and bounced around the room. The sound mingled and clashed with Castle's grunts of pain as Beckett startled and fell to her knees by his writhing body.

"Stop." Beckett pleaded as she looked up to the man with tears in her eyes. "Enough, please." She stretched as far as she could to touch her husband's hair.

The man commanded silence of the room before he bent at the knees to be eye to eye with the detective. "The next shot will be way above neck level." He spoke calmly at her while he aimed the gun at Castle's head.

Castle continued to thrash in pain as he applied pressure to the wound on his abdomen. His breathing beyond labored as he struggled with the fiery sting and the broken ribs that threatened to swallow him into a pit of darkness.

* * *

Roy paced his office as he failed to connect with Beckett, again. Each time he called her, the phone would ring, but he never heard a voice on her end. It was unlike the detective to allow so many texts and calls to go unanswered. Something warned him at the oddness of it all.

He moved to sit in his chair with a heavy sigh.

The man considered getting ahold of the rest of Beckett's team, but quickly decided against it. He had remained in the shadows brilliantly for this long; he would try to keep his cover for as long as he could. It took him one more attempt at her phone before he concluded he would have to assume the worst and accept to take matters into his own hands.

In record time, he logged on to the FBI's system to access their tracing features. With nimble fingers, he typed in Beckett's burner number and waited for triangulation coordinates.

"Hey Steve." He called his friend in as he walked passed his office. "Got any of those tracing brief cases with you?"

His friend popped his head in with a gleam in his eye and a quick nod. "Sure do."

"I need one, buddy." He stood quickly and fixed his gun into its holster before walking out with his partner.

* * *

Scott's deadly glare burned a hole into Kate's soul as he continued to aim at the writer's head.

"Come on, Kate." He tilted his head ever so slightly to persuade her. "I would hate to be the one to succeed at breaking you once and for all. You are no longer the target." He smiled. "My father is very narrow-minded. I seek higher things. You are not my concern. So give me what I really need, and I will let you go. Otherwise, you can bet your story ends here."

Beckett swallowed the anguish that threatened to choke her as she shook her head. Tears slid down her face when she moved her gaze from Scott to Castle's pain-ridden body. "Get him help, please. I'll stay here as long as you want, but let him go." She implored him.

"No, Kate." Castle breathed out with difficulty. His hand covered in blood as he continued to struggle with the wound.

Scott lowered the gun enough to alleviate the detective's worries, but he soon shook his head defiantly. "No. He stays." He raised the gun once more, this time to strike Castle across the face. "But we can be more considerate. This way he feels no pain, and doesn't have to endure what awaits you if you don't start talking." He looked back at the woman. "Did you talk to anyone at the FBI?"

Kate sniffled before she ducked her head, her eyes fixed on the puddle of blood that began to cover the concrete floor beneath her unconscious husband.

* * *

Several squad cars zoomed through the icy streets of New York as they tailed the lead towards their destination. The men inside the car became frantic at the message on their computer screen.

"Damn it." Javier slammed his fist on the steering wheel as he yelled at the screen. "Help me out, bro. What do you have on your phone?" He turned briefly to look at his partner.

The man shook his head. "Nothing Javi, we lost signal." Ryan responded as he dropped the device onto his lap rather dejectedly.

They looked at the screen before Kevin looked back at the cars that followed them and sighed. He looked back at his partner before he grabbed the radio from its cradle. "We lost the trace. Vikram can you confirm the last known coordinates?"

"Yes." Their new security tech affirmed over the radio. "Keep on course. Fort Tilden is where we want to be."

Kevin made eye contact with his partner and nodded. "Copy that." He replied before breathing a sigh of relief. "Why would Alan Smith be at the old Army facility?" He questioned his friend before they each shrugged it off and set their sights on the mission. They would head towards their destination, though much of their plan rested on hopes that Alan Smith would still be there once they arrived. Perhaps then, they could get answers to where their friends were, and if they were all right.

* * *

The air smelled of salt as it circled coolly around the man. Waves lapped the shore in the distance, but the shrubs and foliage that surrounded him obscured any immediate view of the beach.

Mindful of the situation, Roy moved stealthily. He was grateful for the natural cover as he crouched behind the brush and surveyed the immediate area with a pair of night-vision goggles.

He squinted in every direction trying to locate any sign of life. Specifically, he searched for any sign of Beckett. The trace of her burner phone had led him to the abandoned military compound, but he had yet to find any tangible evidence that the detective or her phone were in the area.

Not accepting defeat, the man made his way further down the small road as he stuck to the shadows. It was a few minutes later when he spotted the proof he sought.

A car that looked coincidentally like Castle's sat outside a rundown building with yellowed Plexiglas windows.

Roy moved cautiously and readied his weapon as he made his way closer. He nodded silently to himself when he approached the car and confirmed it to be Rick's.

Satisfied with the findings, he walked towards the building.

He made note of the main entrance and circled the perimeter of the structure as he looked for a better vantage point of the inside. He rushed quietly towards a heap of debris that allowed him an unobstructed view of the interior.

His fingers gripped the weapon tighter as he spotted Kate on the floor with a man crouched before her. The panic that flooded him produced a silent gasp when he saw Castle on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Son of a bitch." He mouthed to himself before the adrenaline kicked in.

Back inside the warehouse, Kate fought a war with herself unlike ever before. The choices she was faced with would not only ensure her survival or condemn her and Rick to a dreadful end, but also affected a long lost friend she had hoped to reconnect with.

Each minute that ticked away had her questioning herself more and more. She had made up her mind when she could not tear her eyes away from her husband as his life drained away. Literally. But things were rarely that simple, and Beckett nearly cried in desperation when she thought about Roy and everything he had gone through to ensure his family and his team's safety.

Her heart and her mind raged on against one another.

She felt her stomach churn and her chest tighten when a sob threatened to surface.

"I can see it in your eyes, Kate. You want to tell me. If not for yourself, than for the man next to you." Scott looked at her with almost compassionate eyes.

Beckett inhaled sharply and straightened her back. In her knees, she felt a dull ache from having fallen only minutes before. Her eyes burned, because though she had cried, she had also held back so many more tears. "I don't say anything until you get Castle help. I swear that if he dies, you will never get anything out of me." Her eyes narrowed angrily up at him.

The man stared intently as he contemplated her words. "Alan!" He waited for the man to walk back in to the room. "Help Louie get Mr. Castle into his car. Drop him off at the nearest hospital. Make sure you are not seen." He spoke calmly at the man before he moved to look at the detective. His shoulders shrugged nonchalantly, signaling that he had done what she required and now it was her turn to reciprocate.

A heavy sigh escaped her mouth before she nodded. "Our information did turn up that a team in the FBI was pursuing your business circle's transactions. We were not given clearance for names. But we know one of them was the one that hired Joe."

Still crouched in front of her, Scott grinned. "I need more to go off, Kate." He whispered.

Beckett's eyes left his as she witnessed Will and the tall man nearing them to unchain Castle's limp body. Her breath caught in her throat when they handled him roughly from his arms to drape him around each of them. "What hospital are you taking him to?" She questioned Will.

"We'll figure it out." The tall man replied before Sorenson could get a word out.

"Will, Coney Island is the closest. Don't let him die, please." She looked at him with hopes that he would listen to her plea. Her breathing slowed when he nodded back at her in response.

A part of her heart left with them as she eyed them leaving the room with her husband's still body. She wondered if the heaviness she felt in her own body was from the pain of his absence, or from the exhaustion of being held captive for however long it had been.

"How did you know Coney Island Hospital was nearby?" Scott questioned her with curious eyes.

Beckett brought her gaze back to his. "The salt in the air is very distinct." She began. "I used to come to Fort Tilden with my dad after my mother died. We would spend hours looking at the buildings and the graffiti that littered their walls. Not your average family vacation, but we enjoyed it. There is something about looking at things that have been forgotten but still stand. A true testament to the perseverance of everything that surrounds us."

The man's eyes drifted from her eyes down to her lips before he agreed with her statement with a nod. "Much like yourself, Beckett." He leaned forward, but found himself pushed away by her one free hand. Her eyes glaring at him. "I apologize." He lifted his hands in surrender, the gun still encased in one of them. "It is hard to resist someone as brilliant and as strong as yourself."

"Well try harder." She countered aggressively.

Outside, Roy struggled with his options of following the men that had vacated the room with Castle's body, or staying to ensure Beckett was not hurt. He closed his eyes as he made up his mind and jumped quietly off the pile he had been standing on. He figured Beckett would be safe, at least a while longer, but he had to make sure Castle was not already dead and being disposed of.

He rounded the corner of the building with his gun ready. Observing the men placing the writer inside the car, he slipped towards a shadowy bend of the structure. A grin escaped him as he realized one of the men made his way back towards him. Roy readied himself as he secured his gun in his belt before draping his arms around the unsuspecting man's neck.

The height was a disadvantage, but Roy thanked his team at the FBI for the extensive hours of training in hand to hand combat as he held the man quietly in the shadow, waiting for the lack of air to pull him into unconsciousness.

It did not take long for him to feel the full weight of the man in his arms dragging him down so he moved back to allow the body to fall quietly on the dirt floor below. Roy took a breath as he pulled his gun out again and made his way towards the car where the other man fumbled with Castle's large frame in the back seat.

Will was so engrossed in fitting the man into the car that he never heard the man approach him from behind.

Roy pulled his arm back with his gun in hand, "hey", he whispered loudly to the man and was pleased to see his body come up and out of the car before he struck him square in head with the butt of his gun. Instantly the man fell to the floor and Roy followed him down to retrieve any weapon he possessed. "Sorenson?" He questioned aloud when he caught a clearer glimpse of the man's features, his hands frozen mid-search. "What the hell." The man shook his head agitatedly.

He took a minute to collect his thoughts before he peered inside the vehicle to study Castle's condition. To say he did not like what he saw was an understatement, and he quickly decided to text his partner his coordinates, but before he could, he heard the roar of car engines as they advanced.

"Hang in there, Castle." The older man whispered as he made his way into the brush and away from the dimly lit area.

The young detective knelt before the man as she continued to shake her head at his questions. "I swear that is all I know." She whispered with a bloody lip. Something she had received from a hard slap to the face when Scott failed to believe her yet again.

Scott now towered over her. "You know Kate, I helped you out, and I listened to your request to get the writer help. This is how you repay me?" He voiced with a hint of anger. "That hardly seems fair."

Beckett took a minute to collect herself as she stood to be as close to eye level with her captor. "I told you what I know. Whether you believe it or not, that's on you." She growled at him. "The FBI agent in charge works out of Washington like I said. He has a name, but we were not given any details on his identity. If you have the power you claim to have, and you still have the connections your father had, then do your research." She spat out.

The man became visibly irritated as he heard the woman's words being flung at him. He shook his head, frustrated at the situation, and took aim at the detective. "What is the agent's name, Kate. You have one more chance before I end this once and for all." His eyes gleamed at her with warning. His voice low and menacing. Silence engulfed them both before he nodded. "Very well." He aimed the gun at Beckett while she closed her eyes to visualize and say goodbye to her husband.

"Drop your weapon!" Javier Esposito and his partner both ordered as they stormed in.

Both Scott and Beckett turned to the men, surprised and shocked at their presence.

"Stop where you are or I shoot her." Scott trained the gun on the woman, but kept his eyes on the intruders.

"What do you think we will do then?" Esposito countered. "Drop the weapon, now." He warned once more.

The well-dressed man grinned threateningly before he moved his finger to squeeze the trigger.

Time stopped when the gunshot echoed in the space.

The breaths that racked Kate's body were quick and shallow; her head foggy from the hyperventilation, and it was when she felt no pain that she opened her eyes to see the man on the floor. His arm was pierced and bleeding as his gun lay several feet away from him. Confusion threatened to come over her before she heard the voices from across the room.

"You alright, Beckett?" She nodded without words as Ryan made his way to her, his partner hovered over the wounded man as he aimed down at him.

An exasperated sigh of relief escaped Beckett at the sight before her and she could not stop her body from collapsing yet again to the ground. Her knees caught her fall, but she felt no pain this time, not even a hint of it.

Scott held his arm tightly as he glared up at the man. "You will pay for this. I swear it." The man threatened.

"I don't think so." Javier rebutted as he heard the sound of sirens in the distance. He grinned as he looked up at his partner. "Get her out of here, Ryan." He looked at Kate for a second. "Go get our boy to the hospital, Beckett." The trio shared looks of agreement and understanding, but the feeling of calm was short-lived as commotion and sounds of gunfire wafted in from the outside.

Beckett's release was placed on the back burner as the men looked at each other worriedly. The woman struggled with her chain, ignoring any pain that might come from her wrist, in an attempt to free herself and assist her team. She failed repeatedly to make any progress with the bonds and breathed out a heavy sigh. "Go. Give me his gun, Espo." She spoke to her friends with confidence.

"No." Esposito responded with an emphatic headshake. "Stay here with them." He looked at his partner before he ran out of the room.

The man stood reluctantly in place as he looked between the man on the floor and his friend. His eyes spoke volumes to her and she merely nodded. "Go."

Ryan nodded before he kicked Scott's weapon as far as he could and turned to hand Beckett one of his back-ups.

When he stepped out into the dawning sky, his adrenaline kicked in. The warzone that swirled around him brought him too his knees behind the corner of the building. His eyes searched for his partner through the gunfire, but came across the familiar face instead. Will Sorenson ducked behind Castle's car as he blindly shot over the trunk at the team of officers that surrounded him and his partner.

The tall man, having woken up from his momentary bought of unconsciousness also shot at them from the shadows of the building opposite of Ryan.

It took seconds for the young detective to realize he had a clear shot of Sorenson- if only he moved a few feet away from the corner where he stood. Slowly he shuffled right and breathed in to ready himself.

* * *

 **A Few Weeks Later**

Friends gathered around the bullpen as they applauded the return of two of their friends, Detective Kevin Ryan and Richard Castle.

A blush painted the shorter man's face as he shyly accepted the catcalls and cheers with a small nod. His arm still rested safely in a sling, but doctors had since cleared him for desk duty, and he could not be more excited to be back with his friends. He smiled at his partner as he observed the man walking over to him for a nice solid pat on the back.

Castle on the other hand strode in as confident as ever, smug grin in place, and arms held out in grand gesture. He was back in business, and though he had been close to facing the music, he was very much alive and still the debonair writer with an ego the size of the Empire State Building. He was all smiles, but he missed the fact that his wife rolled her eyes behind his back at his behavior. It was clear no one cared about his antics as much as he did when the room dispersed and the attention was diverted back to his friend Kevin.

He cleared his throat and immediately pretended to be fully devoted with the younger man in the sling.

"It's good to have you back, Detective Ryan." Victoria Gates commented as she shook his uninjured hand and nodded proudly at him.

"Thank you, Captain." He replied. "It's good to be back."

The team stood scattered around the Captain as she smiled at them. "Well, I hate to break the light-hearted feel we have going, but we do have business to tend to." She shrugged apologetically before she walked towards her office with her team in tow.

They each stood at attention as their Captain situated herself behind her desk, manila folders stacked and ready for their review.

Carefully she strung her thoughts together before she allowed the words to escape her. "Detective Ryan, you took an exceptional risk during the gun fight with the suspects, and though you were injured, we luckily had zero fatalities. Your team and I commend you for your diligence." He nodded in acceptance before she continued. "Mr. Sorenson has recovered from his injuries and will be moved to Attica Correctional Facility where he will begin to serve his time on a very long sentence."

"Good riddance." Esposito chimed in with a shake of his head, and nobody else in the room could argue against his comment.

"What of his partner?" Beckett asked tentatively.

Gates sighed. "He'll be in and out of court hearings for months. Unfortunately, his counts are less severe so he will not be joining his friend in max security. But rest assured that I will keep my ears and eyes open for him, Detective."

The woman nodded in appreciation and stood taller beside her husband. "And Mr. Hale?"

Their Captain used that moment to stand up and retrieve one of the folders before handing it to the detective. "He is a few weeks in to his long-term stay at USP Lee. We need signatures from all three of you." She looked at her team before leaving the task up to Kate.

"Are we at all worried about the fact that his dear old dad is in that same facility?" Castle asked with furrowed brows, the concern clearly etched on his features.

Everyone in the room had wondered the same thing, and each had held back, but they all nodded gratefully at the fact that their friend had taken it upon himself to ask the difficult questions.

"They assured us that they would be kept in separate blocks and assign them different schedules so they never have to cross paths." Gates responded.

"Is that enough?" Rick shrugged.

The older woman nodded. "It will have to be." She paused and was thankful her group accepted her answer for the time being. "Now, I believe we have a new case." She grinned. "Have fun, but stay safe." She eyed each body in the room before they all turned to exit her office. "That goes double for you Mr. Castle. Try not to get shot on our watch again, please." She teased and they all smiled as he nodded with a contrived frown.

Beckett walked out with a strong sense of relief when their Captain failed to mention any other parties present at the warehouse. That could only mean no one else was aware that her former Captain had made an appearance before her team showed up with the backup.

Truth be told, Rick and she would have been oblivious to that fact if it had not been for Roy's text to her burner phone a few days later (while she sat in Castle's hospital room waiting for him to wake up). She suspected he had done so as a means to gather information on whether anyone else had seen or known of his presence, but she assured him he was still safe and hidden from conspiring eyes. Her heart had softened even more for the man when he checked in every day to inquire about Castle's recovery.

It was only a few days ago, upon hearing from Kate that Castle had been cleared to resume consulting with the NYPD, that he warned her he would cut communications for a while until the dust settled. They agreed it was for the best, but the woman made him promise to keep in touch so they could figure out where they went from here on out regarding his situation.

He promised and she was satisfied with his willingness to stay in their lives at whatever capacity he could.

* * *

A few days later Rick and Kate sat in their loft, snuggled on the leather couch, as they watched _Arsenic and Old Lace_ despite Castle's protests. He enjoyed a Cary Grant movie as much as any other person would, but the one on display really was not one of his favorites. Of course, much to his good luck, it happened to be one of the few that his wife truly enjoyed.

"Are you dozing off?" Beckett asked disbelievingly as she poked Castle's rib. She thought it odd that his commentary had seized a few minutes ago, even during one of his favorite parts to criticize.

Castle startled awake and shook his head in a hurry. "No. No. I'm awake." He cleared his throat and straightened unconsciously so he was no longer slouched in his seat.

Beckett grinned at him as she vacated his embrace. She paused the movie and shook her head. "Oh good. So you heard what I was saying about my late Christmas gift for you." Her smile lit up his eyes.

"Um, yes?" He questioned rather than stated and he cursed himself for the slip.

"OK so you first." She clapped her hands together in anticipation.

Her husband's eyes widened as he smiled back nervously. "Right." He nodded. "Wait me first what?"

Beckett continued her feigned excitement as she bounced minutely beside him. She spoke no words, only delivered the occasional wide smile with shiny eyes. Her husband simply stared on fretfully.

"Come on, Castle." She whined with a pout.

Castle shook his head in confusion, and after a few minutes of staring blankly at his wife, he sighed in resignation. "Alright, so I fell asleep." He grinned. "Sorry." He shrugged.

"Jerk." Kate slapped him playfully. "Fine. We can end the movie there. However, I do really want to give you your present. With everything that's happened, it never seemed like the right time to exchange gifts." She responded.

The writer flashed her a playful smile as he held up a finger, indicating he wanted her to stay put. He returned a short while later with a flat envelope dressed with an ornate bow. Kate smiled as she took it from his offering hands. "Yours is in your study in the locked cabinet by the book shelf." She smiled again. "Merry late Christmas, babe." It took her by slight surprise when Castle bent down over her to kiss her deeply before he hurried in search of his gift. "Keys." Beckett yelled over the envelope she currently studied.

Her husband peeked out from the study as she pointed back to the kitchen island.

It took them only a few minutes to unwrap their respective gifts before they each stood with grins plastered on their faces. The woman waited for her husband to emerge from his cave, and it was when he shrieked from the doorway that Beckett looked up at him.

"This is awesome, Kate!" Castle finally yelled with excitement as he held an authentic, well as much as it could be, light saber that was housed inside of a glass case. "This is an exact replica of Luke's light saber, signed by Mark Hamill? How?" He mouthed in a hurry, the enthusiasm still pouring out from his eyes and smile.

Beckett simply shrugged. "I have connections too." She teased with a smile.

"Thank you." Castle almost whispered to his wife as he made his way towards her.

The woman's eyes lit up at his tone and she waited in anticipation for him. With as much care as possible, he placed the glass case on the coffee table before he turned his attention to his wife. It took little to no time for him to wrap her in his embrace while he kissed her softly. "Best. Gift. Ever." He mouthed in between soft kisses.

"Yours isn't half bad either." Beckett responded after they broke apart for air. Her hands hung around his neck to keep him close.

Castle nodded as he looked down into her eyes. "You like it, right. I thought you might."

"I've never been to Aruba." She nodded. "Sounds nice."

"And warm. I'm hoping you might be willing to forget your suit." He winked with a small grin.

Beckett smiled before she moved in for another small kiss. "You could get lucky." She shrugged before she kissed him deeply and began to push him in the direction of their bedroom.

Nothing else was said as he moaned into her mouth and willingly allowed her to lead him towards their destination.

Later that night, Kate lay draped partially over her husband's body, her leg over his naked waist as she traced with careful examination over the healing bullet scar. His breathing was even and deep and the visions behind his eyelids held him in the darkened haven of peaceful sleep while she contemplated their lives.

So much had happened in the span of a few weeks. Yet nothing stood out more than the fact that they had nearly been torn apart by death itself, again. And though she did constantly fear losing each other in the danger of her profession, she was convinced that they would each fight to make sure that did not happen. The fact that they had each battled through the darkness of near-death before and survived had to speak volumes of their strength, Kate figured.

It would have to. Because she could not see herself being anything other than what she was (a wife as much as a detective), and she doubted equally as much that Castle would ever walk away from her.

They were in it for the long haul.

Partners in life and in crime.

Always.

With those thoughts, she allowed her body to give in to the pull of sleep.

* * *

 _The man had a vast network of 'friends'. That was for sure._

 _All he needed was the leverage and a little compensation for their loyalty. He had both._

 _Even in a max security prison surrounded by both professional and crooked guards alike._

 _He appreciated the dishonest ones much more, of course. They made it possible for him to have luxuries others could not even dream to have._

 _Amenities like having access to cell blocks, guard's keys, and weapons._

 _Being the man that he was, he made sure to use his resources to the fullest._

 _Which brought him to where he was now, with the mission he assigned himself so long ago._

 _He repeated his mantra as he walked unconcernedly down the darkened hall that led to the solitary cell at the end of the tunnel. He was in no hurry to make a mess of his opportunity, and if curious eyes were peeking through the small rectangular windows, they would say nothing. So he made his way towards his objective with his weapon in hand._

 _His feet came to a stop before the door and he grinned as he felt the fingers of his free hand graze the keys in his pocket. He decided the time had come and he pulled them out to connect the tool with the lock on the sliding door._

 _The possibility that the person behind the door could pounce on him as he entered did not faze him as he used his hand to open the door wide._

 _In fact, he was slightly disappointed that the occupant only stood slowly once he had fully invaded the man's cell. Part of him had hoped for a brawl as a means to relieve all of the hatred and resentment he harbored for the man in front of him._

 _"It was only a matter of time." The man voiced as he looked upon the man that now fully displayed his brandished weapon._

 _He nodded. "I knew exactly what I wanted when I started all of this." The man paused to glare at his absentee father. "And that was to end up here so I could repay what you did to my mother."_

 _The older man nodded but kept a straight face. "You are your father's son. Get on with it."_

 _A red rage engulfed the man at hearing those words, and it took no more motivation for him to lunge forward and finish what he had set out to do. And as the blood stained his hands crimson and dotted the walls unclean, he took solace in knowing he had succeeded with eliminating the man who took everything from him. He tried hard to allow that to be enough for now, but almost as soon as the man stopped breathing, he craved more. Because he knew people were still out there trying to take what was his, and he would stop at nothing to find the Federal Agent who threatened his empire._

 _ **.**_

 **There you guys have it. What did we think? Good? Bad? So so? I really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did putting it together. Now, I know it is open-ended, but I am much like Andrew Marlowe in that the story never ends in my mind. While that does not mean a sequel is in the works, it also does not mean the story ended for Castle and Beckett. Hopefully that makes sense to you all. I also hope that the Caskett end scene was good for you guys. I wanted to make it as sweet as possible without making it feel as rushed as the series finale felt (thought better than a killed-off Beckett). Take care my friends, and I hope to see you all again soon.**


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